Illness
by Dreamer of Legends
Summary: Something is wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Dedicated to Saihitei Seishuku for the wicked awesome idea. (It's called 'Illness' for a reason! =D) Sorry I couldn't reply, *shakes her fist at the internet* but I couldn't find a way around to get to you, since you disabled your PM's.

Doors. Nothing but doors. Hundreds, thousands, millions of bland grey slabs of impenetrable iron. Or perhaps, no more than one door. One constant, unchanging, unshifting door that kept realigning itself under his hand whenever he reached for another handle. At the end of every corridor, set in every stone, there was only the single door, the single room, the single answer.

Nothing.

Yami paused, his hand hovering inches away from the knob of the latest door he found himself in front of. A few torches dotted the hallway he had come from, spreading their meager lights into the inky blackness. But he knew that if he ever returned down this hall again, more than a few of the lights would have winked out, and all of the doors that he had left open to mark his progress would have once again swung shut in an effective way of confusing him. He had no means by which to mark his passage, and thus could not be certain of where in this immense labyrinth he had already ventured, and what places remained untouched.

He felt like he was walking in endless circles, the answers he was seeking kept out of his reach because he just kept trying the same path again and again.

Perhaps the other doors were nothing more than illusions. Perhaps the door he just opened was the same one he'd flung open an hour ago, the same one he'd shaken days ago, and the same one he would touch every time to come. Every time that silent portal swung forward and opened its dark mouth, it revealed only the same unchanging emptiness. Nothing new was ever discovered here. Just the same grey door and the countless, endless, twisting corridors that lead back to it.

No, he told himself, shaking his head in denial and reaching to grip the slender handle firmly. He had to believe that somewhere in this place there was something else. Something different. He had to believe that he _was_ making progress, little by little... because he did not want to consider the implications if his assumption proved otherwise. If there truly was only one door in the depths of the Millennium Puzzle, one door and a hundred thousand different ways to get to it, then what was the point of this continued searching? What was the point of his existence inside the thing, if not to find some answers, some clues to his purpose of being here?

What reason was there for him to live?

He tugged the door open violently, a momentary surge of hope gripping him. Maybe this was it, maybe he would finally be rewarded his efforts of long and fruitless searching. Maybe there was a clue beyond this door, a single shred of hope in the hopelessness that was beginning to eat away at his resolve. Maybe...

Maybe there was just more nothing.

Yami let out his breath in a disappointed sigh, his violet eyes flicking back and forth between stone wall and blank, smooth, secret less stone wall.

Nothing.

Suddenly he felt a desperate anger welling up within him, a need to prove himself wrong and just once find _something_ in this stupid place that would be worth the millennia of searching. He didn't like to think that all of those years had been wasted. There had to be something here!

He stepped into the room and closed his eyes, trying to see with his heart and not with his thoughts. He tried to close down on his mortal habits and stop himself from breathing. He needed no air here, he was a spirit after all, he just needed to remember to shake himself free of such things so he could concentrate.

Silence settled thick and heavy in the room. He waited patiently for many moments, trying to sublimate his anger and just focus. But time began to eat away at him again, the ever pressing knowledge that seconds were slipping past him like thieves. Unseen and undetected, but passing by nonetheless. His eyes snapped open and flared, and he sucked in a sharp breath through his nose in frustration. He walked to the wall directly across from the still open doorway and put his hands on it, willing something to come to him, some sign to manifest itself at his touch. But still the darkness and the stone reacted with the same indifference as they had for years, revealing nothing and giving him no hope that it would ever change its ways.

Yami grit his teeth and pounded his fist into the stone with a yell of pure frustration. But as the echoes of his rarely lost self-control came back to him (emphasizing the emptiness of the room in the process,) he hung his head and sighed again in shame.

"Look at me." He mumbled sarcastically to himself, thoroughly disgusted. "Yelling at inanimate objects like a spoiled child."

He shook his head with a self-degrading chuckle and turned to depart the room. He cast one last gaze at the emptiness, a look that was one part hopeful and three parts disdainful, and made to slam the door closed and satisfy some small part of himself at least.

But he couldn't resist leaving the door open a touch, just the tiniest sliver, in the hopes that he would come back one day and search this room again. A large part of his mind rebelled against the act, and indeed, he thought himself foolish for harboring these false hopes. But he still could not bring himself to fully close the door and, in his eyes at least, admit that final defeat.

A soft call wafted to his ears, carried on the mental link that was his only window to the outside world in this place.

"Yami? You've been in there all day! It's not healthy you know, you should come out and eat something before bed."

Yami felt a small smile grace his lips, easing some of the stress lines that seemed they would be forever etched into his skin. Yugi. He was always worrying about him it seemed. But truly he was grateful for the reprieve, he would welcome a break from the emptiness gladly.

He trotted down the corridor easily, already savoring the thought of getting out of here. The door lay silent and still behind him, forgotten.

And in the deepest depths of that darkened room, where only a sliver of light remained to keep away the shadows, _something_ stirred from its slumber and opened its dark eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, so just a few things I want to clear up so people don't get confuzzled.

Firstly, yes, Yami does have his own body. Don't ask me how, or I'll bash you over the head with the Millennium Brick and yell at the top of my lungs: 'Because I'm awesome, that's why!' XD

And secondly, I'm not exactly sure of the time-frame, but you can assume that it's somewhere in the grey area of after Duelist Kingdom and before Battle City. I say this because you'll note that Yami does not actually know he is the Pharaoh yet, he's still trying to find answers within the Puzzle. And yes, I am fully aware that Yami said he was the Pharaoh right after Duelist Kingdom. I believe this was instinctual, and that a person's heritage is a part of them, whether they remember it or not.

Ok, that's all I wanted to say. Enjoy!

~ Dreamer.

The first thing Yami noticed when he emerged from the depths of the Puzzle was the smell. His spirit wafted from the depths of the golden labyrinth and met flesh, and he slipped into his body with ease. A rich, mouthwatering aroma made its way up the stairs and under his nose, making his stomach gurgle impatiently. Yugi laughed, his voice coming from the hallway.

"Sounds like somebody is hungry!" He chuckled, stepping into the room and holding the door open. Yami got up from the bed and walked over, his belly rumbling with every step. He put his hand on it, blushing slightly.

"You heard that all the way out there?" He asked.

"I think _Grandpa_ heard that one!" Yugi teased, turning to head down the stairs. "He says that dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so I came up to get you. Will you help me set the table?"

"Of course." Yami agreed readily, but he waited until Yugi was about halfway down the stairs before he made to follow. Then he jumped down, taking the steps two at a time with loud, booming sounds.

_Thumpthumpthumpthump..._

Yugi yelped and scrambled down the steps, trying to get out of the way. Yami barreled around the corner of the landing loudly, finding Yugi standing frozen in fear at the bottom. He crashed into him and they landed on the floor; skidding to a squeaky stop before a very disgruntled looking Grandpa.

"You two quit playing in the kitchen." He scolded, trying not to smile and waving a sauce covered spoon at them. "I need room in here!"

"Sorry Grandfather." Yami apologized. "I did not think that he was going to stop."

"I hate it when that happens." Yugi mumbled, crawling out from under Yami. "You're so scared of the impending doom you can't move a muscle."

"'Impending doom'?" Yami echoed, jumping up and extended a hand to Yugi. "Hardly."

"Heck, when its _you_ coming after me, after anybody, anything is possible." Yugi grinned, pushing his shoulder and making him stumble as they went to the dining room. Yami hip-checked him into the door as he passed, grinning.

They began to set the table, spinning plates and glasses into their places like they had done a thousand times before. Yugi looked up at him with curiosity written on his face and a question on his lips.

"So... any luck?" He asked gently, hesitantly. Yami grimaced, pausing in the act of putting down another fork.

"No." He shook his head solemnly. "It is still the same. I have found nothing new to aid me, though I have searched long and hard."

Silence engulfed them after that. Yugi didn't really know what to say to comfort him, for words of hope just seemed so frail in the face of the desperate reality Yami stood against. He was trying so hard to find answers, clues as to who he was and why he was here. Yugi would have just as readily argued that he was Yami, and he was here because he was part of the family, but he knew that finding out more about his past was very important to Yami, and so he kept silent.

All they really knew was that he was from Egypt, and Yugi secretly suspected that he might even be royalty, an assumption based strictly on Yami's regal mannerisms and speech patterns.

He chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment as they finished, and then he hooked his arm around Yami's and drew him to the couch.

"Okay, so why don't you start with what you've found already." He suggested, sitting Yami down on one end and plunking himself in the other corner. He drew his knees up to his chin and watched Yami with an expectant expression.

Yami spread his hands out in a hopeless gesture, emphasizing what little he knew. "Sand." He said simply. "Every now and again a small breeze teases the still air. It smells of exotic perfumes and gold relics and incence. In that smell I can picture marketplaces, majestic pyramids that rob a man of breath, and dark rooms where prayers to the Gods are given in holy ceremonies. Underlying all of this there is the unmistakable scent of sand." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as though he were smelling it now.

"Undoubtedly, this comes from my homeland. But it only lasts for a second or two, a fleeting instant in time, and never, _never_ have I been able to find the source."

"You never followed the scent?" Yugi inquired. Yami held his hands out to his sides.

"How would I follow something that emanates from a thousand different places at once?" He replied, slumping back in the chair. "And besides, it never stays long enough for me to even begin to track it down."

Yugi watched the frustration increase on his face, trying to find words to ease him.

"Supper is ready!" Grandpa called.

Yugi looked up into Yami's eyes, searching. Violet met amethyst, concern met frustration, and Yugi sighed. He leaned forward to put a hand on Yami's shoulder.

"We'll figure something out." He promised gently, and Yami managed a small smile for his sake. Just then his stomach rumbled again, and the distraction allowed some levity to creep in and steal the somber atmosphere.

"You'll think better on an full stomach anyway." He said, jumping to his feet. Yami smiled and stood up too, and they headed to the table with eager strides as the smell of the hot food reached them.

"You two look tired." Solomon commented, pausing in the act of lifting his fork. "Are you still up for the movie tonight?"

"Oh yeah!" Yugi exclaimed through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. He blushed and politely covered his mouth and finished chewing before he completed his outburst. "I forgot it was movie night."

The 'Moto Monday Night Movie' was held in high regard, and was nearly as sacred as game night. It was an important tradition, but even so, it was not a forced thing. No one would watch the movie if one member was not up for it, because it was an all or nothing event. They didn't want to leave anybody out, and though Yami was not technically related by blood, he still looked forward to it as eagerly as the other two.

"Well, I would still like too," Yugi commented, turning to Yami. "What about you?"

Yami stirred his food absently, turning his potato 'volcano' into a mushy brown blob. Yugi nudged him pointedly, and Yami came back from his dream land with a jolt.

"What? Oh! The movie." He put his fork down and paused, looking like he was internally debating with something. He stole a peek at Yugi out of the corner of his eye, and quickly looked away when he noticed that he was staring at him. "Sure, I'm up for a movie."

Solomon smiled and considered the matter settled. "Good, then we'll start as soon as the dishes get done."

The rest of the meal passed in silence, but Yugi sensed that something was still bothering Yami. As they finished eating and began to clear up the dishes Yugi gently opened their mind link.

_Liar_. He whispered. Yami jumped and nearly dropped the stack of dishes he had been balancing.

_What? _Yami asked, and Yugi sensed true perplexity behind the words.

_Something is up with you, and don't try to deny it. You forget that our bond is strong enough for me to pick up on when you're feeling off._

A light laugh echoed back to him, soft and gentle and ultimately concealing. It crossed his mind that Yami might not even know what he was hiding, he might be just as confused as Yugi.

_I just don't feel... how should I say this... one hundred percent. _He explained carefully, as he dropped the dishes into the sink and absently grabbed a cloth. _I must be, ah, under the weather._

Yugi smiled at Yami's attempt to sound more modern. He'd had been trying to get him to drop some of the formalities in his speech, but his stubborn royal Egyptian heritage was not so easily fought back. But when the weight of what Yami was saying actually registered, his smile was replaced with a small frown.

_You're not getting sick are you? _He asked, reaching up to feel Yami's forehead. Grandpa looked up curiously, for he had heard none of the silent exchange, but had seen Yugi get up on his tiptoes to press his wrist to Yami's head.

_I don't believe so. _Yami said, giving himself a quick internal check. _Nothing feels out of place._

_ You're not warm either._ Yugi admitted reluctantly, turning his attention to the dishes that needed drying. _But then what could it be?_

_ Your guess is as good as mine. _Yami answered, plunging his hands into the soapy water and sighing. The hot water felt soothing.

Yugi said nothing more, but he had a sinking suspicion that he knew what was ailing his friend. Perhaps the endless challenge of trying to unlock the secrets within the Millennium Puzzle was beginning to take its toll. Maybe Yami was getting depressed.

_Depressed? _Yami inquired, and Yugi realized with a start that he had forgotten to close the link. _Is this an illness common in this age?_

_ Well, yes, unfortunately, but depression is not an infection. It's not something you can catch. _Yugi tried to explain, knowing that he was fully into it now and that there would be no backing out.

_It's what happens when someone starts to lose hope. When they start getting poisonous thoughts in their head. _Confusion was the only response he received from Yami, and he tried to think of a way he could get him to understand.

_Think of it this way. What happens when a duelist starts to lose faith in the Heart of the Cards? _

Yami paused, unsure where this line of logic was headed. _When a duelist no longer believes in himself nor trusts in his cards then he will lose. _Yami answered calmly, stating the fact that he knew so well. _The Heart of the Cards cannot reside within someone who doubts._

_ Exactly. Depression works a lot like that. _He started to say, but Yami suddenly whirled around, his hands flying out of the sink in shock and spraying Yugi with flecks of foam.

_Do you mean to say that this foul disease could make me lose my connection with the Heart of the Cards? _Yami gasped, errantly connecting his current 'illness' with Yugi's analogy.

_No no, _Yugi quickly assured him, wiping the soap bubbles from his face. _It's not like that. _

Yami calmed and started cleaning again, patiently waiting for an explanation. Yugi hesitated, trying to figure out how he was going to explain something as strange and as ugly as depression to someone who had likely never felt it before.

_People start to think that they're not good enough, or that the situation they're stuck in can't be fixed. They just keep making themselves sadder and sadder until they hit rock bottom. They start to withdraw from people and close in on themselves, and eventually, if it goes untreated, they might start thinking that their lives are not worth living anymore._

_ Sounds dangerous. _Yami remarked, not in any mocking way, he was simply stating his thoughts. _It is a sad day indeed when a life no longer thinks it deserves to exist. All life is precious and sacred, no matter the situation._

_ Exactly. _Yugi agreed wholeheartedly. _But the sad part of it is, is that when you are the one that's depressed, a lot of the time you don't remember that life is a gift and needs to be treasured. It's so hard to think like that, but it's even harder to try not to._

_ You speak as though from experience. _Yami whispered.

_I have been depressed before. _Yugi admitted quietly. _You remember how I used to get picked on a lot?_

Yami's hands unconsciously gripped the wash rag tighter. Never, if he lived for another five thousand years, would he forget the physical and emotional torments that Yugi had been put through in his youth. Never once.

_Well, back before I met Joey and Tristan, and even before Tea and I were good friends, I used to get bullied so much. Sometimes it would get so bad that I would have to run to the bathroom and hide for the whole class period so that I wasn't caught. _Amazingly, Yugi's voice was calm as he retold his story, as though the memory carried no pain. Yami on the other hand, wisely let go of the glass he had been cleaning before he shattered it with the sheer force of his grip.

_Sometimes I would have to sit on the school roof until nightfall to avoid the few stubborn jerks that wouldn't leave even after school was over. I always brought games with me to pass the time, but a lot of the games were meant for two people, and my one-sided matches against myself didn't help my sprits much. I felt so alone then, so forgotten and ignored. _He sniffed quietly, and tried to pass it off as a cough, as though bubbles had somehow crawled their way up his arms and into his nose. Yami saw through the facade easily, and his posture relaxed in sorrow and sympathy. Yugi continued.

_Eventually the bullies would either get tired of waiting around, or it would get so dark that I could sneak away. On those long walks home I really let myself go, and I started to think that life just couldn't get any worse. I cried a lot then, but I always made sure I looked decent when I got home so Grandpa wouldn't worry. I made up excuses as to why I was home so late, like 'I was out with my friends' or 'there was a big soccer game after school and some kids invited me to play'. I don't think I fooled him, he knows I'm not a sports person, but the excuses were enough to get me by. It was a harmless enough lie to cover up the hurt. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself..._

Yami finally couldn't stand it anymore, the pain behind Yugi's words was just too great. Ignoring the fact that his hands were still wet with dishwater, he wrapped his arms around Yugi and held him gently. Yugi accepted the hug without complaint, understanding that it was more for Yami's benefit than his own. He had already come to terms with his situation back then, and he was able to move forward from it with an open heart.

_But the point I'm trying to make here Yami, is that depression can be a dangerous thing. _Yugi mumbled, his face pressed into Yami's shoulder. _I don't even want to think about where I would be if I had never met my friends..._

He shuddered gently, but regained himself after just a second. _But after I stood up for Joey and Tristan, after I found the courage to face my fears head on, I found the greatest friends I have ever known. It was around that time that I realized that Tea, too, stood beside me, and that I would never again have to be alone. And then I completed the Puzzle and found you..._

He trailed off and pulled back, looking Yami right in the eyes.

_I just want you to know that no matter what happens, you are not alone. _He promised fervently. _I'm here for you, and so are all of our friends. So if you ever do start to feel depressed just remember that and I promise you'll be okay. _He pulled Yami back into the hug, smiling gently.

_It worked wonders for me, my friends were my lifeline in that violent storm._

Yami could find no words to express his feelings of gratitude and would not have been able to speak them past the lump in his throat if he had. He simply tightened his embrace and tried to convey his thanks through the hug alone. He vowed then and there to never forget those words, and he promised to himself that he would fight against this evil plague called 'depression' with every ounce of strength he had.


	3. Chapter 3

Moments later Yami sat down between Yugi and Grandpa on the couch, balancing a bowl of popcorn in his lap. They loved this couch. It was really more of a loveseat than anything else, but it fit the three of them comfortably. They had settled down here so many times that they had almost made grooves in the old thing, and with a thick blanket wrapped snugly over them and slippered feet stretched out comfortably under the table, it was a cozy night indeed.

When everyone was properly settled, grandpa pressed the button on the VCR to start the movie and flicked off the lamp. It was his night to pick the movie, and they waited to see what classic he had no doubt picked.

The opening scene was instantly recognizable, and both teens smiled.

"'The Princess Bride.'" Yami murmured appreciatively. "Wow, is that an 'Atari'?"

"I think it is, too." Yugi answered in surprise, reaching for the popcorn. "That thing is nearly as old as you are!"

Unfortunately for him though, Yami's arm was draped comfortably over the back of the couch, within easy striking distance of Yugi's head. Yami swatted him at the insult, and Yugi threw a popcorn kernel at him in response. Yami promptly caught it with his mouth.

They returned their attention to the film just as the boy began complaining to his mother.

"'He pinches my cheeks.'" The boy said. "'I _hate_ that.'"

"I never understood why grandparents did that." Yugi whispered to Yami. "Are they checking how much you've fattened up or what?"

"Well when you have grandkids of your own someday Yugi," Solomon intoned loudly, "you'll realize that it's your only form of revenge against the whiny little brats." He teased, reaching across the couch and pinching Yugi's cheek. Yugi pushed his hand away with a blush.

Then the movie really got started, and they hushed respectfully. The film was no less spectacular this time than the first time they had watched it. The dazzling combination of swordsmanship, loyalty, conspiracy, and true love had them holding their breath, smiling in hope, gasping in terror and nearly applauding even though they knew the outcome already. It was just too much fun to bring the story to life.

There was one point in the tale in which the villains seemed to have won. Yami happened to glance to his side to see small, glittering tears tracing lines down Yugi's face. Concerned, all thoughts of the movie flown, he leaned over and whispered softly.

"What's wrong?"

Yugi jumped a little, and drew an arm across his shining eyes.

"Oh, nothing. I just got caught up in the excitement, you know?"

Yami said nothing, but nor did he return his attention to the movie. Sure enough, after a second Yugi revealed his thoughts. He started whispering again, this time so low that Yami had to lean in to hear the words.

"It's almost a happy ending, in a way." He mumbled, though no smile graced his face as he spoke. "Dying in the name of true love."

He sniffed again and sighed deeply, an ache from deep within his soul crying out in that breath.

"I hope I can find that one day too." Yugi whispered softly, almost too low to hear. "That special someone that even death could not stop me from being with..."

Yami put his arm around his shoulders and drew him in. "You will, Yugi. One day you'll find your fairytale princess, and I know that she will love her fairytale prince."

Yugi sighed and relaxed into the offered embrace, leaning his head under Yami's arm and pulling the blanket up closer to them both. Yami was very warm, and if Yugi tilted his head just so he could make out his steady heartbeat.

"Thanks Yami..." he whispered, yawning. "That means a lot..."

A little while later the movie ended, and Solomon wiped the moisture from his eyes. That last kiss got to him every time. He yawned and stretched himself, looking over to see if his grandkids had enjoyed it too.

He chuckled softly, smiling in tired amusement. Yami had slumped halfway off the couch, and Yugi's head was cushioned on his stomach comfortably. His chin rested on his chest and his arms was slung over Yugi, and every now and again their sleep was punctuated with a light snore.

Grandpa would have been contented with just leaving them there, but he knew that if he did they would likely wake up stiff. Leaning over a bit, he shook his shoulder gently.

"Yami... Yami, wake up. It's time for bed."

One blurry purple eye opened a bit, and the sliver of amethyst that peered out at him told him without a doubt how ridiculous he found that statement. Yami _was_ in bed, as far as he was concerned.

"Don't give me that look, or I'll leave you here and you can deal with a sore neck in the morning." Grandpa whispered, rubbing his own neck. He knew the pain well, for his own pillows were usually too full. Yami looked as though not being able to move his head would be preferable to having to get up, but then Yugi shivered a bit and he conceded. He shifted gently so that he could sit up, and Yugi's head fell into his lap softly. He fuzzily wondered how he was going to get up without disturbing the youth.

"Do you want me to get him?" Grandpa asked, standing and stretching again.

"No, I've got him." Yami replied, lifting Yugi's head a bit and sliding away so he could stand. He too, stretched, reveling in the feel of his muscles pulling the kinks out. Then he bent and scooped Yugi into his arms, stumbling to the stairs.

Solomon followed after, every now and again putting a hand out to steady Yami if he swayed too near to the wall as they climbed to the dark second floor.

"A little tired are we?" He chuckled softly, and Yami smiled gently.

"Just a little."

When they reached the dark landing, grandpa fumbled around for the light switch, mumbling to himself. Yami needed no light to see, and he slipped into Yugi's room before the light could stab into his eyes with its intrusive brilliance.

He shifted Yugi in his arms a bit as he entered the room, so that he could use one hand to pull the curtains open. Yugi preferred the light to darkness when he slept. After the room was comfortably lit with starlight, he walked to the bed and pulled back the covers sleepily, his eyes still half-closed and unable to focus. Finally he lay Yugi down on the bed and tucked him in, making sure he was comfortable.

Yugi yawned and settled in, making Yami smile with an exhausted air. He leaned over and gave Yugi another hug.

"'Night Yugi." He mumbled softly. "And thank you."

He patted Yugi's head gently as he turned to depart, shutting the door with a soft click.

"Good night Grandfather." Yami sighed, shuffling down the hall to give Solomon a hug.

"Good night my boy, sleep well." Solomon whispered. Yami almost fell asleep right there in the embrace, so warm and at peace was he, but he managed to hold on to consciousness for just a moment longer. Grandpa gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and then they went to bed, savoring the thought of cool sheets and black dreams.

Yami stumbled into his own room and closed the door softly, enjoying the darkness and the oblivion it promised. As he crossed the room he crossed his arms over his torso and pulled off his shirt, tossing it over the back of his desk chair absently. He would hang it up tomorrow, he decided.

A profound sense of relief washed over him when he climbed into bed, a feeling that comes only when everything is right with the world. One last smile teased his lips as he settled in, and no sooner had his head touched the pillow then he was asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Run._

The echoes of his footsteps sounded impossibly loud as he sprinted with wild abandon down the dark halls. His breath refused to come in large enough amounts; his chest heaved and sweat poured down his face. He ran on and on, endlessly, his heartbeat pounding the same message, the same thought, over and over again.

_Run. Run!_

_ Run from what?_ Yami caught himself thinking. But then he shook his head. _Nevermind why, thinking will only slow you down. Just run._

Then he heard it. Something else was running too, running behind him. Chasing him. Its footsteps were heavy, thumping. It was not human, that was certain. Fear gnawed at his stomach, turning his already shaking legs into noodles. He felt his eyes widening in sheer terror.

_This is ridiculous. I'm not afraid of anything. _But his statement was weakened somewhat when a loud roar sounded almost directly behind him. A scream clawed its way up his throat and tore past his lips before he could stop it. He would have felt foolish about that if he had stopped to think about it, but he had no time to think right now.

He picked up his pace, scrambling down narrow passageways and sharp turns, his feet skidding on the stone and his arms flailing to keep his momentum going. But no matter what he tried, he sensed his pursuer was steadily gaining; not valuing finesse above speed. It came crashing around bends with its talons extended, tearing great gouges in the stone. Yami risked a backwards glance to see two red eyes directly behind him, and closing fast. He could almost feel its hot breath from here.

Yami wrenched his gaze away from the terrible beast and put his head down, putting everything he had into one desperate run. His limbs were burning and his lungs cried out for air despite the fact that he was inhaling large quantities. But he could not stop. To stop was to die.

He ran for all he was worth, but he knew he could not hold for much longer. Only terror was keeping him moving now, only fear that kept his heart beating. But then something gave him a sliver of hope. There, right in front of him, barely ten strides away, was a door. Not just any door, a room. A safehaven! If he could just get to it before...

Distracted as he was, he did not see the shadows at his feet moving until it was too late. Before he quite knew what had happened, he was on the floor, staring at the door in disbelief. Against his better judgement, he looked back, toward the charging monster.

He had not fallen.

Something had tripped him.

A hand that was reaching from the darkness was wrapped painfully tight around his ankle, holding him fast. He could not escape.

Yami screamed in absolute terror as the huge beast sprang into the air, fangs gleaming and ready to tear him apart.

****

Yugi shot up in bed as a loud scream shattered the silence of the night. He knew that voice, even though it was laced through with pain and fear.

"Yami!" He gasped, scrambling to get out of bed, tripping over the sheets and running face first into the door. Ignoring the pain, he fumbled for the handle and wrenched the door open, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

Yami spent a long moment trying to orient himself.

_Calm, calm, breathe. Look, it was only a dream... only a dream..._

But despite that, he still jumped violently when a dull thump sounded from deep within the house. His breath caught in his throat as footsteps thundered down the hallway, closer... closer...

Yugi blasted into the room without so much as a knock, thinking that something horrible must be in there to make Yami scream so. But when he opened the door all he found was a very frightened young teenager, who was staring at Yugi in terror and clutching the bed sheets so hard his knuckles had whitened from lack of blood.

"Yami?" Yugi questioned, relaxing his posture and stepping fully into the room. "What happened?"

Yami sighed when he realized that it was only Yugi. He almost laughed, but he found that the nightmare was still too vivid for humor to be of any use. Trying to steady his breathing, he pulled his knees up to his chest and put his head down.

Bad idea. Closing his eyes only brought the nightmare back to his mind.

He jumped again when Yugi sat down on the bed beside him, and Yugi put a hand out to steady him. "It's just me, relax." Yugi whispered. Yami did not realize he was trembling until Yugi's still form was next to him. Yugi's arm slid around his shoulders, holding him in silent support. A thin sheen of cold sweat covered Yami's bare skin.

"What happened?" He whispered again softly, soothingly. Yami shook his head.

"I have no idea." He replied honestly. He was finding it difficult to concentrate on the nightmare with Yugi beside him. He turned his head to the side and looked at him out of the corner of one eye.

"It was just a dream I guess..."

"You 'guess'?" Yugi echoed, concern creeping into his voice. Both of them knew better than to assume that any freaky dreams were nothing more than just dreams.

"I cannot be sure. It was so real, so vivid, but then every dream is like that until you wake up. Even now, it's starting to slip away." Yami said softly, putting an arm around Yugi in return. "Although I think that's because you are here with me. I have always said that darkness grows weak in the light, and that is definitely proving true now."

Yugi leaned on him in gratitude. "Well what _do_ you remember?" He asked, not wanting to dwell on bad memories any more than Yami did, but understanding that it could be important.

"I was running. Running away from something." Yami began, and a small shudder coursed through him. "Something big and powerful, with glowing red eyes and talons that could tear through solid stone." Yami raised his hands, fingers reaching like claws. He had a habit of emphasizing his speech with his hands when he talked.

"All I could think about was running, getting away. Nothing else mattered. But I had been running for what seemed like hours, and I was getting nowhere fast."

Yugi nodded, having had similar dreams before.

"But then something shifted, and there was suddenly a door in front of me. I believe the door was the key. I felt if I could just get to it, then I could escape my pursuer. But before I could even begin to make my way over, something reached out of the shadows and tripped me. It was a hand, human, I think. When I turned to free myself I saw that the beast was already on top of me, and the dream ended as it descended upon me, all teeth and claws and fury. The last thing I remember was screaming in denial, thinking there was no way this could be happening, but unable to defy what I could see with my own two eyes... I was so afraid, I have never been so scared in all my life..."

It was only when Yugi reached over and wiped a hand under his eyes that he figured out why his line of vision had suddenly gotten all misty. Yugi threw his arms around him and squeezed with all the strength in his little arms, trying to impart some comfort into his friend.

"Yugi, Yugi I can't... breathe." Yami grunted, smiling slightly in spite of himself.

"Too bad." Yugi replied, not loosening up. "You need a hug right now, so just take it, okay?"

"... Okay." Yami smiled wider, and squeezed Yugi back gently. He was right, he did need a hug right now. And it was working, he could feel more and more of the negativity just melting away the longer they sat together.

After a long and silent moment, Yugi finally let go.

"Better?" He asked, turning his eyes up to Yami with a smile. He knew the answer already.

"Much." Yami said, pressing his cheek to Yugi's and ruffling his hair. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"It's a gift." Yugi shrugged playfully, but then his tone turned a little more solemn. "You sure? Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No thank you aibou, I'll be alright. Besides, you'll want your energy for tomorrow. We have that test in Math class, remember?"

"Right." Yugi sighed. "I guess there's no avoiding it. But promise you won't hesitate to call me if you have another nightmare though. Deal?"

"But Yugi..." Yami began to protest, but Yugi held up a hand to stop him.

"No buts. You have to promise."

"But... very well." Yami sighed, knowing that Yugi would argue all night if he didn't.

"Promise?" Yugi pressed, unsatisfied.

"I promise."

Yugi fixed him under his most solemn stare yet as he held out his hand.

"_Pinky_ promise?" He said seriously. Yami blinked.

"Pinky promise." He said a little nervously, thrown off a bit by Yugi's sudden shift. He made it sound like it was some sort of binding contract was being forged.

"Good." Yugi nodded, appeased. "Well then, goodnight."

"Good night Yugi." Yami sighed, slipping back under the covers as Yugi left the room. He turned to lie on his side and let out an uneasy breath. While Yugi had indeed made him feel better, he could not help but feel nervous about falling asleep again. What if the dream came back? What if he didn't wake up this time? What if...

His train of thought ended abruptly as his dreams swallowed him up once more. But this time, thankfully, nothing sinister disturbed his rest.

****

It seemed like he had just crawled into bed when his grandpa was shaking him awake.

"Yugi, come on, get up. It's time to get ready for school."

Yugi rolled over, and looked at his alarm clock in disbelief. The traitorous piece of machinery had decided not to ring this morning.

"Thanks grandpa." He mumbled, sliding out of bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Not a problem, my boy. Breakfast is on the table when you're ready."

Yugi nodded and began to undress.

"Is Yami up yet?" He called after Solomon, who popped his head back into the room with a puzzled expression.

"Come to think of it, no, I don't believe I've seen him yet." Grandpa muttered. "Which is a little odd, he usually rises with the sun in the mornings."

"I'll get him in a minute." Yugi said, thinking the nightmare last night must have tired out his friend.

"Better hurry, or you and he will both be late!"

A second later Yugi was knocking softly on Yami's door.

"Yaaaaami, time to get up." He whispered, creaking the door open. Sure enough, he was still in bed, the covers tucked up to his chin. Yugi honestly lamented having to rouse him, but he knew it was for Yami's own good.

He took a flying leap and landed on the bed, bouncing over to Yami's sleeping form. "C'mon Yami, don't be lazy!" He teased. He sat on him and pulled back the covers, tickling his neck.

Yami rolled under him and groaned. "Time to wake already?" He yawned, blinking against the light. There were dark circles under his eyes.

"Yikes, did you not sleep well?" Yugi said, eyeing the darkened skin. Yami sat up as Yugi threw his legs over the bedside.

"No, I slept fine. No more nightmares." Yami replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you've got huge bags under your eyes."

"What?" Yami asked, perplexed, brushing a hand across his cheeks.

"Not _bag_ bags, oh come on, I'll show you." He tugged on Yami's hand to get him out of bed and steered him to the bathroom.

"See?"

"Oh."

Yami examined himself curiously while Yugi brushed his teeth. Yami reached over to splash some cold water on his face, and as their arms touched Yugi just about inhaled his toothbrush.

"Holy..." Yugi mumbled, his hand flying to Yami's forehead while his partner looked at him curiously. "Geez Yami, you're burning up!"

"Am I?" He asked innocently. His eyes were clear and he seemed well enough, but nobody gets a temperature like that for no reason.

"You are. Hey, grandpa? Can you come here for a sec?" Yugi called, and Solomon ambled up the stairs towards him. "I think Yami is sick."

"Are you now?" Grandpa asked, putting another hand on his forehead.

"Grandfather your hands are like ice!" Yami gasped, startled. The sudden contrast of hot and cold sent a flash of pain through his head.

Grandpa pursed his lips. "With a fever like that Yami, I'm not surprised." He mumbled. "You're staying home today."

"But..." Yami began, but neither of his companions would hear a word of it.

"Back to bed with you, come on." grandpa insisted, drawing him away.

"Wait a moment, there is a test today! I cannot just miss it!"

"Oh Yami, relax. You can always take the test later."

"But... I feel fine. Honestly Yugi, grandfather, I don't feel any different that usual. Can I please go to school? Give me a chance to prove that I am not sick. If I can make it through the test without getting any worse then I'm not ill."

To Yugi, he softly added.

_This is not a side affect of this 'depression' you were telling me about, is it?_

_ No, whatever you caught has nothing to do with that. And you don't seem depressed to me anyway._

_ I was afraid of that. I wonder what it could be then?_

Yugi jumped. _So you _are_ sick!_

_ Only a little. _Yami admitted.

_A little. _Yugi echoed. _I should tell grandpa. _

_ No, let him decide. I think he's going to let me go._

Indeed, Solomon let the matter drop with a sigh and a nod. "Alright Yami, if you're sure. But if that fever of yours has not cleared up by tonight I'm keeping you home until it does. Sound fair?"

"Yes, thank you." Yami smiled, and they all headed down to breakfast.

_I don't get it. Usually people use sickness as an excuse to get out of school. Why are you still going? _Yugi asked him, mentally since his mouth was full of food.

_Because I don't believe I am actually ailing, for one. _Yami replied. _I'm just feeling the side affects of not enough sleep. _He didn't mention that he thought the dream last night might have been warning him of danger today though. Yugi looked worried enough as it was. But if the dream was trying to tell him something, and that was more than likely, then Yami wanted to keep as close to Yugi as was possible to ensure no harm came to him.

_Well, I've got my eye on you. The minute your eyelids start sagging buster, its back home and back to bed with you. Got it?_

_ I know. Thank you Yugi._

_ Aren't you going to eat anything?_

_ No, I'm not hungry. _Yami admitted, packing his school bag. Though he would never say as much, the sight of the hot eggs made his stomach turn. He could feel Yugi's worried eyes watching him all the way up the stairs.

As he turned into his bedroom, he grabbed the Millennium Puzzle from its spot on his desk and slipped it around his neck. He wanted it near in case anything... interesting occurred today.

As the Puzzle settled near his stomach, a curious jolt of pain ran through the area where the Puzzle had touched. Yami put a hand to it curiously, but when nothing else happened he passed it off as no more than another symptom to add to his growing list and headed back downstairs.

Deep within the depths of the Puzzle, unbeknownst to Yami, the same creature that had manifested itself in his dream last night was thundering through the halls with gusto, tearing up the stone with its powerful claws and ripping iron doors off of their hinges. It sensed that its actions caused pain, and so it continued, chaotically ripping and slashing everything it could in a frenzy that lasted the span of a few seconds. When it was sated, it turned around to the pile of debris it had created, examining the runes etched on the sides of the torn walls with only a passing interest. Whatever magic had existed there had not been enough to stop it.

Momentarily appeased with the destruction, it turned around in a quick circle like a dog and fell asleep on the stone floor, dreaming of wild chases through these endless corridors, searching for the memories that would feed it and keep it sustained.

Yami was not aware of any of this, not yet at least. To him, the Puzzle was the same as it had always been. But what he did not realize was that when he had left that one door open just the tiniest sliver, when he had left only a tiny beam of light in the darkness, he awakened what many would call a Memory Eater. This creature was on a hunt for his memories, tearing through the interior of the Puzzle to do so.

And every tear in the golden stone translated into a cut on Yami's soul, and for every bit of damage wrought, his newfound 'illness' would only grow worse.


	5. Chapter 5

The school bell blared its single, loud, monotonous note to signal the start of the first class. Yami winced slightly as the noise seemed to slip through his bones and rattle his mind. He quickly pushed away the pain before Yugi could notice however, and began his customary sweep of the room.

His violet eyes scanned the crowd purposefully, seeking those few hostile hearts that would seek to take advantage of he and Yugi for their smaller size and reserved attitudes. Some people looked up when they felt the weight of his gaze slide over him, but quickly dropped their heads back to the desk when they locked eyes. Most of the students reacted not at all, except to continue staring indifferently at the blackboard at the front of the room.

Satisfied that no hidden threats lurked within the room, Yami dropped the arm that had been blocking the door to let Yugi in. Yugi just rolled his eyes, he had long since gotten used to Yami's overprotectiveness. A few select people smiled and waved when they noticed the duo, and Yugi made his way over to them, smiling in return.

"Yo Yugi, Yami! Pull up a seat. We've got a sub today, and she's running late." Joey called, motioning to the chairs opposite them.

"Morning Joey, how's it going guys?" Yugi huffed, sliding into his chair and dropping his bookbag on the floor. "Who's the sub?"

"Not sure. We only just found out this morning." Tea replied.

"I'll bet it's one of the new ones." Tristan added thoughtfully. "They're giving her a class full of teenagers to test her skills."

"Speaking of testing skills, how about a duel before class starts?" Joey put in, cracking his knuckles. "My fingers have been twitching all weekend. I haven't fought a real duel since Duelist Kingdom!"

"I will accept that challenge, Joey." Yami smirked, his eyes lighting up. "Let's see just how well your twitching fingers hold out."

Yugi laughed at how quickly his two friends had their decks out and ready, shuffling so fast the cards seemed no more than a blur.

"I'll summon the Celtic Guardian in attack mode, and place these two cards face down." Yami began, hardly even glancing at his hand before he knew his opening move.

"A classic play for you buddy." Joey commented, setting his own cards. "I'll summon my Rocket Warrior and lay a face down card of my own. But I'll play it safe for right now, and I won't attack until I have a way to get rid of your traps." He finished, thinking he had Yami's rather obvious tactic figured out.

Yami smirked. "I thought you knew me better than that Joey, never fall for the obvious." He flipped over a magic card. "My next card gives me more than enough power to deal with your warrior..." He stopped, turning his head away suddenly and coughing into the crook of his elbow. His face turned a faint shade of red as he struggled to pull in some air through the coughing fit. Yugi was up and leaning over him in a second, but Yami waved his hands in an attempt to stave off the worry.

"Sorry..." He rasped, his eyes watering slightly. "I am fine. I just need a drink of water." He got up and stumbled to the end of the room, heading out into the hall. Their friends turned to look at Yugi curiously.

"He's getting sick." Yugi answered, not looking at them. He got up to follow after. "I'd better make sure he's okay."

"Take your time." Joey said softly, looking at his hand in disbelief. "I'm going to need time to figure my way out of a mess two seconds into the duel!"

Yugi slipped through the desks quickly, but was stopped by a young woman walking into the classroom carrying a large stack of paper.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, the printer was jammed. But good news, your tests are all fine." She said cheerily, smiling at the groans chorusing through the room. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think. You should have plenty of- Excuse me young man, but class is starting, please take your seat."

"Can I just get my friend? He just walked out the door." Yugi pleaded, not wanting Yami out of his sight for more than a second. The substitute pursed her lips, suspecting he was trying to pull one over the new girl's eyes. But Yugi's innocent purple eyes spoke nothing but truth, and she let the matter drop with a shrug.

"Alright. But hurry back, the test is starting."

"Thanks." Yugi said, heading out into the hall. Barely two steps and he was stopped again.

"Well well well. Who do we have here? It's _little_ Yugi." Sneered a giant, a huge teen that looked like he could pass for a small tree if he stood still long enough. His rough skin was covered in tattoos, and his hair stuck out at odd angles like the needles of a pine.

"Not now, I need to catch up with my friend." Yugi mumbled, trying to slide past. The boy wasn't going to let him go that easily. He slid over to block Yugi's path again.

"Hey now, where are you going in such a hurry, runt?" Pink Hair leaned on the wall with one arm, effectively leaning over Yugi to make him feel even smaller than he did already with the towering teen.

"You know there's a fee for walking my halls after the bell rings." He said smoothly, trying to be business like. "I can't keep the bullies off your back without proper payment. I ain't running a charity here!"

Yugi sighed, his heart sinking. His spare change was all the money he had for lunch today. But he knew well the consequences of disobedience. He thrust a hand into his pocket and dug for the money.

"Tsk, tsk, so little? You don't want me to starve, do you?" Then he abruptly scowled. "Unless you're holding out on me..."

Yami wiped the water from his mouth and trudged back down the hall, doing his best not to let his feet drag. The day had barely started, and already he felt the drowsiness settling in, as Yugi had predicted.

But he was determined not to drop his guard. He was certain that the dream he had was a warning, a preview of danger to come. He would not be caught off guard.

Suddenly the back of his neck prickled, that unwelcome feeling that made him think that perhaps he would not have to wait very long for the danger he thought was coming.

He sped up as Yugi's soft voice wafted round the corner, undertoned with a subtle pain.

"Let go! I told you I don't have anymore money! I gave you everything I had."

"Why don't we just make sure then?"

Yami rounded the corner to find Yugi pressed against the wall, and a monstrous, ugly hunk of flesh sticking its filthy hands into Yugi's pockets.

Pink Hair was taken right off his feet, and Yami slammed him against the wall instead, loose coins tinkling as they scattered all over the floor. Without wasting any time at all, Yami stoked the powers of the Millennium Puzzle. The symbol glowed on his forehead, and the bully's eyes widened in fear. He began to squirm, terrified, trying desperately to get away from the freak half his size that held him off the ground.

"Hey, hey what are you doing? Let me go!" He cried, but Yami didn't listen. He wasn't going to hurt the man, but he wanted to teach him a lesson that he would not soon forget. But then, he was suddenly gripped with a violent surge of fire in his veins, something he had never felt before. He jerked and let go of the bully, who scrambled back in pure terror as Yami began to twitch, his eyes rolling back into his head, showing only the whites.

"Yami!" Yugi cried, scrambling to get to him before he fell. "Yami!"

Yami felt himself hit the floor with a heavy thump, but he registered no pain. The only thing he felt at that moment was the white-hot agony surging through his entire being, a fire that seemed to come from the Puzzle itself.

An eternity later, he opened his eyes. "Ughn..." He groaned, immediately shutting them again when a flash of light pierced through the sliver. A small gasp sounded from somewhere to his right, and the world grew dark again. Yami tried again.

At first, all he could see was... purple. And blurry purple at that. A sea of purple. He blinked to bring the image into focus, and then smiled.

"Hello Yugi."

Yugi was leaning over him worriedly, the tips of his blonde bangs tickling Yami's face.

"Thank goodness you're awake!" He breathed. "You have no idea how worried we've been! You about gave grandpa a heart attack."

"What... what happened?" Yami groaned, trying to sit up. But the whole room tilted when he moved, and he fell back with onto the pillows with a soft _thwump._

Yugi put a cold washcloth on his forehead. "You passed out in the hall. You scared that kid pretty bad, and when he went running through the school yelling, our friends suspected trouble and came to find us. Joey carried you home. Grandpa wanted to call an ambulance, but I told him I'd take care of you."

"Where are the others?" Yami inquired glancing around the room as though they were hiding or something.

"They left around ten. They would've stayed longer, but there's still school in the morning for us regular folks." Yugi joked, trying to keep his spirits up.

"Ten in the morning?" Yami frowned, trying not so seem hurt that his friends had abandoned him so early. But Yugi laughed again.

"No dummy, ten at night! You've been sleeping all day!"

Yami looked out the window incredulously. Sure enough, the sky was dark and the moon was high in the sky. The sudden realization of how late it actually was hit him then, and he turned a disapproving look on Yugi. "Should you not be in bed?"

"There he goes folks, worrying about others as always." Yugi mumbled sarcastically under his breath. Yami attempted to smile, but suddenly he coughed, his whole body convulsing as he did so. The passing fit left him weak and panting for breath.

"Am I going to die aibou?" He whispered weakly, and Yugi smiled sympathetically.

"No." He murmured, laying a cool hand on Yami's cheek. "You've just caught a really bad cold. And you missed supper. Are you hungry?"

Yami gagged. "Ugh, no. I could not swallow anything right now."

"Well I'm starving, so I'm going to heat up some leftovers. And I'm not going to bed until we talk about what happened today." He looked Yami in the eyes again, a moment of understanding passing between them both. "I don't think that was at all natural."

"Nor do I." Yami agreed. "Something happened... when I tried to use the Puzzle. Something went wrong."

Yugi nodded. "And we're going to find out what. I'll be right back."

Yami shifted farther under the covers as Yugi left the room, closing weary eyes. Though he'd only been awake for a moment, he felt exhausted already. He was finding it very hard to battle the wave of weariness that washed over him, and he felt he would have succumbed to sleep in a moment, but then he started to cough again.

It was horrible. The pressure built up inside of him to the point he thought he would burst, the rough air clawing its way up his raw throat and making him wince in pain. There was nothing to be done but sit and wait it out though, so he did. He tried holding his breath once, but the sheer force of the next cough felt like it had literally ripped his throat in half. He was not anxious to try that again.

Yami slumped back into the pillows again as the frenzy passed, drained. The door opened once again, and Yugi slipped in balancing a tray with two glasses, a plate and a bottle of some concoction Yami was instantly sure he wouldn't like.

Yugi set the tray down and picked up the bottle, grimacing a bit himself. "Open up," was all he said.

Yugi sat on the edge of the bed and poured a rather larger than necessary spoonful of the bright red liquid, and held it up to Yami's lips. It smelled like over-ripe cherries that had been left out in the sun for a month. Yami unconsciously sealed his lips. Yugi frowned.

"Come on Yami, don't make this any harder than it needs to be okay? It's not that bad. Hundreds of kids have taken medicine before, and they always get over it." He paused for a moment, thoughtful.

"At least I'm not giving you 'Buckley's'."

Yami didn't even want to know what that was. Despite the promise that it could be worse, he could not bring himself to open his mouth.

"It'll be over like that, I promise." Yugi snapped his fingers, his tone taking on a distinct parental edge. It was obvious he was enjoying this.

_Easy for you to say. _Yami thought, shuddering.

"Do it or I'll steal the Dark Magician."

Yami opened his mouth in shock. Yugi would never do that! The Dark Magician was the card that was so much more than just a card. The Dark Magician was a friend, an ally, a valued companion! He was-

Faster than the eye could follow, Yugi deftly slipped the spoon between his lips and tipped the foul smelling liquid down his throat.

The taste was a thousand times as loathsome.

Yami spluttered, squeezing his eyes shut as though blocking the sight of the medicine would somehow block the taste. His tongue hung out of his mouth like some sort of dyed ribbon.

Yugi pressed a cold glass into his hands, and Yami downed the water in one long, breathless gulp.

"Feel better?" Yugi asked, trying not to smile for the sake of his friend's pride.

"That tastes worse than muck." He replied.

"But it will help with your cough."

Yugi got up and retrieved the tray of food.

"I want you to at least have a few bites okay? It's shepherd's pie, there's not too much chewing involved."

Yami gratefully accepted a bite of the hot food, it helped rid his mouth of the other unpleasant tastes.

"So... what do you think happened?" Yugi asked, watching Yami carefully to make sure he didn't sit up too fast.

"I cannot be sure. The mysteries of the Millennium Puzzle have ever been elusive." Yami murmured, staring off into space. "I never meant to hurt the youth, but I wanted to make sure he understood the depth of what he was doing. I tried to show him what it was like to be bullied, I tried to give him the experience of living in constant fear of another." He paused, his face screwed up in concentration.

"But when I reached for the power that has always been there, when I tried to use it, it almost... exploded." He finished awkwardly, having no other way to put it. For some reason, the magic he had touched reacted with violence.

The powers within the Puzzle coursed through it like lifeblood. It was easy to know where they were located, but nearly impossible to figure out how to use them. Even then, the dark magic remained just on the edge of the user's control, and the slightest slip could have disastrous outcomes. Yami tried not to delve into that power very often, because he new so little about it and he did not want anyone hurt. But he had to admit, to himself at least, that whenever he _did_ call upon the dark magics, he felt the slightest twinge of recognition from deep within his soul.

That familiarity scared him, for he did not want to think about what it meant. If he was comfortable and easily able to handle magic that could kill, what did that mean?

Had he used it before?

... Had he used it justly?

He shook his head to clear it, and wished he hadn't. He felt like his brain had come unglued and was rolling freely around in his skull, pounding on the walls with hammers.

"Well, the Millennium Puzzle has always been strange." Yugi echoed his thoughts. "I never pretended to know what it meant when I solved it. I knew it was special, unordinary, and I knew there was much more to it then there seemed to be at first. Much more." He smiled a bit. "Maybe we're just too inexperienced with this kind of thing. Who knows, maybe the Puzzle has a limit to how much it can be taxed before its just too much at once."

"That may be true. Perhaps it would be best if we just left it for a while. After all, there is no real need to use it in everyday life. I should not have tried to today. I acted foolishly, but seeing you like that, at the mercy of another, I just... lost myself. I became so angry... forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive." Yugi said softly. "I know you didn't mean it."

Yami sighed and sat back, rubbing his aching eyes. Yugi yawned widely, his eyes drooping too.

"Time for bed." Yami snickered, giving Yugi a half-hearted push. Yugi just grinned and reached for the cloth that had dried itself to Yami's skin. He dropped it into a bucket of cool water at the foot of the bed and wrung it out, instructing Yami to lay back down as he did so.

"There, you should be set for the night. Grandpa is letting me stay home tomorrow so I can help look after you, so don't be afraid to come get me if anything goes wrong."

"Thank you." Yami murmured, touched. He slipped back under the covers and yawned again. He wondered if he would be able to fall asleep again, considering he'd only been awake for an hour. He wondered if his sickness would be gone in the morning. He wondered of that Math test he missed could be re-taken, he wondered...

He'd wondered himself back into the arms of his dreams.

Yugi picked up his dishes and the medicine and retreated from the room, gently closing the door as he did so. He let out a tired sigh and leaned against the door.

It had been a long day.

The Memory Eater was on the run again. It had caught a scent, a delicious aroma that promised nourishment. Drool slipped over its lip as it raced eagerly along, chasing the scent.

A score of pathways lay behind it, twisted and torn and dark. Hundreds of doors had been ripped open by now, some of them containing deadly traps that did nothing whatsoever to the monster. It could not be stopped once it had latched on to the elusive flicker of a passing memory.

And there it was. A single, rippling ribbon, a strand of silken silver. It floated free in the air, unattached to any others of its kind. But the beast did not care. Though one memory could not lead him to any others, all the beast knew at that moment was that the feast was ready.

It sprung, powerful muscles sending its quarter-ton bulk hurtling through the dark air. It caught the ribbon in its powerful jaws, tearing and shredding through it before it had even touched back down. Silver blood ran from the wounded thought as it was slashed to pieces and devoured.

It was only a small memory, only a few seconds in time, but there was so much emotion weighted in that piece that the Memory Eater was momentarily sated. It lashed out suddenly, for no reason at all it seemed, perhaps just for the pleasure of feeling its claws rip something else. It tore a giant black scratch in the wall and let out a chilling howl of victory.

Then it was on the hunt once more.

_"Mother!" Yami screamed, a cry torn from his heart. "Mother, come back! It is not safe!"_

_ His mother did not turn back. She couldn't. Her steps were slow and dream-like, and she could not hear her son's desperate pleas over the storm. An extremely rare rainstorm had visited the desert this day, and the Nile had swelled dangerously far above the flood line._

_ "Mother!" Yami screamed once more, before he turned and fled, seeking to get to the lower ground that she was on. He debated whether or not to go and fetch his father, for King Aknuamkannon was well aware of his wife's tendency to sleepwalk, so surely he could do something!_

_ But he cast that idea aside as soon as it came. There was no time! The Nile was going to sweep her away!_

_ He scrambled desperately on the wet rocks, trying to keep his footing. He went down hard, slipping and sliding and finally crashing in a broken heap in the mud, nursing a sprained wrist. He caught sight of his mother approaching the banks of the water in her soft linen nightgown. She looked like a soaking wet spirit._

_ "Mother!" Yami pleaded with her, tears mixing with the rain on his skin, praying that she would hear him and come back into herself. Awaken from this nightmare._

_ She turned to face him slowly, her eyes devoid of any emotion except pure bliss. She smiled at him, an expression filled with all the love a mother could hold for her child._

_ And she plunged into the Nile._

A desperate, heart-broken scream filled him. It rang in his ears, echoed in his heart and reverberated through his very soul.

"Yami, Yami wake up! It's only a nightmare! Grandpa come quick! Yami won't wake up!"

Water splashed over his face, filling his mouth and nose and jolting him back to awareness. Something was holding him down. He pictured he was underwater, struggling to breathe, to move, to fight the current that was going to take him away...

He gasped mightily and sat bolt upright, trying to figure out where he was. Yugi was on top of him, wide-eyed, holding his arms to the mattress. Solomon stood by the bed with an empty bucket in his hand. For a long moment the only sound that filled the room was Yami's panicked breathing, but gradually he calmed.

"Yami? Are you okay?" Yugi whispered gently, letting go of his arms. "You were thrashing so badly I thought you were going to injure yourself. What happened?"

"I-I don't... remember..." Yami murmured, putting a hand to his head. He had been dreaming obviously, but of what? He could scarcely remember.

"There was a woman in white... and she was... she was going to... to..." He sighed in frustration. He couldn't remember. All he had left was the feeling of terror and the lonely echo of his breaking heart.

"There now, it's all right now. Let's get you out of these wet sheets." Grandpa murmured, helping Yami climb out of bed. "Yugi, we'll stick him in your room for tonight. Are you okay on the couch?"

"I want to stay with him, grandpa. Just in case." Yugi said, looking at Yami's pale face and tear stained cheeks. "I don't care if I get sick." Yami interrupted him.

"No Yugi, you can't I don't want to put you through this..." He stopped when Yugi raised a hand.

"No arguing, its too late for that. I'd win anyway, you're too exhausted to fight."

Yami conceded with a reluctant nod. He planned on commandeering the couch once Yugi was asleep anyway.

They stumbled into Yugi's bedroom wearily, and grandpa made Yami sit still while he took his temperature. Yugi made his bed while the thermometer warmed up. A second later and grandpa sighed.

"102.6." He read, obviously worried. "It's too late to take you to the doctor now, but I'll call and make an appointment in the morning. In the meantime, we just need to make sure you don't get any hotter. Yugi, will you please go get the water pitcher and a glass from the fridge? Make sure there's plenty of ice in it, we want it to last all night."

"Sure grandpa, I'll be right back." Yugi nodded eagerly, rushing out of the room.

He opened the window to Yugi's room to let in the cool breeze, and Yami shrugged out of his shirt and slipped on some P.J. shorts instead. He crawled into bed as close to the cold wall as he could get without falling into that annoying little space between wall and bed.

Yugi returned a short while later with the pitcher. The ice tinkled invitingly against the glass as he poured a cup.

"Here you go." He murmured, handing Yami the cup and setting the jug on the bedside table before climbing into bed himself.

Yami sipped the cool water gratefully, holding the glass to his hot forehead to cool it as well.

"If he starts having nightmares or hallucinations or whatever else again Yugi, don't hesitate to come and get me." Grandpa instructed, taking the empty glass. Then he kissed both of his grandson's goodnight and once more departed.

The moon's light was soothing, not as harsh and painful as man made electric bulbs. Yami watched the beams dance across the floor and up the wall for a moment before Yugi turned to look at him, fear reflected clearly in his eyes.

"You don't remember what happened at all?" He whispered. Yami shook his head. The last few minutes had wiped his memory clean of the nightmare.

"Not a bit." He whispered back. "It just left me the feelings." His poor heart shuddered feebly at the remembered pain.

Yugi held him close, wrapping his arms around his brother carefully and feeling like he was holding the sun. He was so hot, it could not be healthy.

Yami buried his face in Yugi's shoulder and sighed. Even his breath was unnaturally hot.

Yugi was like a shield, keeping the negativity away by just being him. "Thanks." Yami mumbled, feeling the small amount of the dream he _could_ recall vanishing in the blink of a purple eye. Again, Yugi was his salvation from these crazy dreams that he could not begin to understand.

"Oh, hey, I've got an idea." Yugi whispered suddenly slipping out of bed and rummaging around in his closet. Yami watched him curiously, unable to raise his head to see what Yugi was looking for. He pulled a big, fuzzy, circle shaped thing out of the closet and smoothed its fur lovingly. Then he hopped back over to bed.

"This always used to help me when I got sick." Yugi whispered, holding it out to him. "But don't worry, I washed it."

Yami smiled tiredly. It was a poofy pillow shaped exactly like a Kuriboh. It's big, cheery little eyes warmed him a bit on the inside. Yugi lifted his head and put Kuriboh under him. The fur was cool and soft, and surprisingly lifelike, as though Kuriboh himself was cushioning him. He could almost hear the little guy chirping now.

Yugi snuggled back under the covers softly. "Goodnight Yami." He yawned, his back to him. "Sweet dreams."

Yami drew him in again for another hug. "I just thought of something." He mumbled, stifling a yawn of his own.

"This ought to be good."

Yami chuckled softly. "You're like a teddy-bear." He said solemnly, as though being labelled a stuffed toy was a high ranking honour. He squeezed his little friend to prove his point. "Always there when the nightmare need to be chased away, and when tears need to be shed."

It took Yugi a second to respond. "You're delusional." He sighed, though Yami could see the tiny smile that was pulling the corners of his lips. "The fever has made you delirious."

"Come on, admit it. You are like a teddy bear. A living, breathing, golden hearted bear."

"Go to sleep." Yugi murmured, banging his heel against Yami's leg to voice his annoyance.

"Whatever you say aibou." Yami teased once more, but he didn't let go. He may have been teasing, but he meant it, at least in part. Yugi did keep his nightmares away. Maybe it had something to do with peace in numbers, maybe it was because he was Yami's lighter half, after all. Or maybe it was simply because Yugi was just that kind of a person. Whatever the reason though, the same as the first time this occurred, no more nightmares plagued his thoughts that night.

A.N. Awwww... Sorry, I just love these cute little brotherly fluff pieces. =3

Both the scene and the Kuriboh pillow belong to Team SilverHawk. Keep an eye on it sweetie, I'm gonna steal it when you aren't looking ;)

Let me know what you guys think! Too much fluff? Not enough? Never enough with me, but let me know just the same.

~Dreamer


	6. Chapter 6

When Yami awoke, something was different. As if all sorts of things were not different these days. But this was not just different, this was... bizarre. Something deep within him was off. More off balance than before. He wondered what it could possibly be... was he getting worse perhaps?

His hands twitched impulsively, searching. But they came up empty, and his eyes fluttered. Sunlight streamed through the window gently, allowing him to open them fully. He was alone, the Kuriboh pillow tucked securely under one arm.

Yami sat up and felt his forehead wearily. Still warm. He sighed, supposing he never expected to get out of it that easily.

He got out of bed and made to move to the closet, thinking to get dressed. but he had only gone a few steps when the whole room seemed to tilt on its axis. He could almost feel his face go pale.

Clapping a hand to his mouth, Yami rushed out the room and into the bathroom as his stomach rather violently emptied itself.

Yugi rushed up the stairs when he heard the noise. He burst into the room without a knock, getting down on his knees and holding Yami's hair away from his face gently. They sat there for a moment as the bout of sudden illness played itself out. Yami wiped his mouth with his arm and collapsed sideways, his head in Yugi's lap. He was shivering and shaking and gasping for breath; Yugi's hands fluttered helplessly, wondering what to do.

"You just can't catch a break, can you?" He murmured. "First the fever, then the cough, then the dizziness and hallucinations, and now this. We need to get you to a doctor."

The word sent a slew of images through Yami's mind. He pictured operating tables and shining, delicate tools designed to slice and rip, blood soaked walls and the heavy stench of medicine thick in the air...

His face was farther into the toilet then he ever wanted it to be ever again.

"Do not say doctor." Yami begged, gagging. "Please."

"We won't go to the hospital, just the office. She'll have something to fix you up, I'm sure." Yugi promised, gently stroking his back.

****

A moment later they were on their way to the clinic, Yami leaning out the car window as a precaution. The wind returned some of the colour to his face.

"Well who have we here?" Said a kind and gentle looking woman when they walked into the office. "Hello Yugi! It's been a while since I've seen you! Been keeping out of trouble then?" She said pleasantly, giving him a quick hug.

"And who's this?" She inquired, stepping before Yami.

"This is my brother Yami, he's here to see you." Yugi answered gravely, his tone solemn.

"I don't remember you having a brother..." the doctor said, a bit perplexed. Yami turned away to try and hide his cough.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She apologized immediately. "I should keep my priorities in line! Come this way now, we'll get you looked at in no time."

"You might want this." Yugi offered, handing her a clean bucket. She pursed her lips.

"Hmm, more serious than I thought it seems. Alright, if you'll come with me, Yami was it? Then I can get you properly checked out."

****

Yugi and grandpa sat impatiently in the waiting room for a long while, playing a quick round of Duel Monsters to pass the time. Yugi was just about to play the winning card when Yami came back into view, looking slightly less pale than before. He managed a weak smile.

"I've never seen anything quite like him." The doctor observed when she came back with her papers. "He seems to have caught almost every symptom that the common cold or flu has to offer. There is little in the way of medicine that can treat all that at once, unless he feels like taking several pills at a time. So long as the pain doesn't get any worse and his fever stays at a stable level, we may just be able to let the virus run it's course."

She handed Yami a small bottle of pills.

"These are for if the nightmares come back. They're sleeping pills, potent ones. One at a time should knock you out for a full night's sleep. Now, he's still a little contagious, so I'd keep him away from school for now. Yugi too. These germs have a habit of traveling on others, so wait until you're sure they're both healthy before you send them back into the world."

She smiled and patted their heads. Grandpa made to pull out his wallet, but she stopped him with an outstretched hand. "Don't worry, this one is on me. I remember all the tales little Yugi used to spin for my patients while they waited, and all those smiles were worth a lot more than one small medication. Just get well soon."

"Thank you." Yami murmured, touched by her generosity.

"No, thank you. I know it's you who keeps Yugi safe and out of harm's way. Without you he'd still be in here every day, getting bandages and iodine for the nasty cuts. Seeing him so vibrant and full of good cheer warms my heart more than you know. He's lucky to have a brother like you."

Yami smiled and blushed, looking over his shoulder to see Yugi staring off into space, standing in the warm sunlight.

"That goes for us both."

****

The car ride home was a lot less smooth. Twice Yami had to lean out the window, but his stomach no longer had anything in it and so he just heaved dryly. When they returned home all he wanted was to crawl back into bed and ease his pounding headache.

He put a foot through the door.

The Memory Eater snarled from deep within him and locked on to the last intact door within the Millennium Puzzle, the last defense between it and its prey.

Yami yawned and bid 'good afternoon' to his companions, heading off to take a nap.

The door was torn open, spilling its silvery contents into the corridors of the puzzle. The Memory Eater opened its mouth wide and swallowed many of the forbidden memories whole.

Yugi felt Yami stiffen in his arms, and he pulled back in alarm. "Yami?" He whispered, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Yami's eyes were wide and unseeing, as thousands of unlocked memories were unleashed.

He saw the pyramids, comforting behemoths that erupted from the sands with majesty. He saw the throne, and the six guardians of the Millennium Items; and hundreds of beautiful, horrible, wonderful _memories_ rushed over him.

He saw his people, _his_ people, spreading as far as the eye could see. Cheering, waving, bowing to him. He smiled, joy on his proud and handsome features. They chanted his name...

The beast swallowed them, too.

Yami jerked in pain, blinding, wrenching agony... and collapsed. He stopped breathing.

****

The beast was huge, grown to monstrous proportions from all of the thoughts, feelings, and past emotions that it had engorged itself upon. It's great bulk filled the halls, knocking down walls of the puzzle to make room for its rapidly expanding girth. It was literally crushing the pieces of Yami's mind to bits as it sat there, feasting upon his memories from his time as Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

The Memory Eater truly lived up to the name of its race then, having eaten as none other of its time had. Five-thousand years had dulled the edge of many of Yami's thoughts from back then, but they remained whole enough to provide sustenance to a creature that would know only one true meal before it died, and took all the memories with it.

Growling and snarling, violently slashing at everything, the Memory Eater licked its lips and sniffed, sensing that it had missed something. It could feel itself coming dangerously close to its limit; if it consumed much more it would burst.

But it couldn't resist that scent... the tantalizing aroma of _fresh_ memories, new thoughts. It nosed its way over to the side, where a small chest-like object sat, unopened. It raised a heavy claw to bash it open and lap up its contents.

A tiny Kuriboh hurled itself at the monster's head, scratching at its face with thick claws. The Memory Eater shook its head and roared, sending the little defender sprawling into the shadows. It broke open the chest without another thought.

****

"He's awake now." Said the nurse, a kind young man that had sat with them and tried to explain that the doctors were doing all they could. "We don't know what happened, honestly, but the doctors have done the best they could for him. You can go in and see him any time you wish."

"Finally!" Joey yelled, jumping to his feet, Yugi hot on his heels. Tristan and Tea leaped up and followed, trying not to break out into a dead run for the sake of the other patients.

They all burst into the room at once, stopping when they saw Yami lying in bed, hooked up to large and scary looking machine. Heartless, cold metal.

"Hey pal." Joey said softly, slipping closer to the bedside. "How have you've been?"

Yami blinked, his blurry eyes seeming confused and unfocused. Yugi sympathtized completely, Yami hated hospitals, it must be very confusing for him to wake up in one. Poor guy...

Yami opened his mouth and rasped, trying to say something. He stopped and wet his lips, and Yugi leaned over him to hear what he was trying to say.

"Whisper it to me." He said. "What's wrong?"

Yami swallowed and looked Yugi straight in the eyes.

"Who... who are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

"W-what?" Yugi breathed, unable to comprehend what Yami had just said. Impossible. Does not compute. Error.

"Who are you all?" Yami asked again, his voice cracked and weary. "You seem so familiar..." His eyes lingered on Yugi as he spoke.

They were dumbstruck. Joey and Tristan's mouths hung open in identical expressions of shock, and Tea gasped softly, covering her mouth. Her eyes swam with disbelieving tears. Yugi stood unblinking, staring at Yami as though waiting for him to say 'just kidding' and go back to being himself again. But all he saw when he looked into his brother's eyes was the empty light of a stranger.

"You look like..." Yami started to say, but he was cut off by a sudden coughing fit that left him weak and unable to speak. The nurse came in then, ushering them outside.

"Come now, he needs sleep. You can come back and visit him in the morning."

"But..." Tea started to protest, looking at the others. But she found no argument from their sullen and downcast expressions. So she sighed and allowed herself to be led away.

They all did, swallowing their questions and looking back over their shoulders unconsciously as they departed from the hospital.

The drive home took an eternity. The black road against a black sky provided no comfort whatsoever to the teens whose minds were still reeling with what they had heard. Yami, sick? Seriously sick? Had he truly forgotten them, his closest of friends...?

The constant background noise of the tires on the road was numbing. It filled the air like water, inescapable. They allowed themselves to drift away in it, each completely alone with their own thoughts.

"It's gotta be a temporary thing." Joey commented suddenly, as though picking up on a loose thread of the non-existent conversation. His hands gripped the steering wheel and he stared straight ahead. "It's just gotta be."

"Something must have happened when he collapsed." Tristan added, trying to establish a solid base of reason. "Maybe his sickness gave him memory loss or something..." He trailed off, realizing how foolish his statement seemed. Even if Yami had suffered memory loss... to wipe out his entire memory from his time outside of the Puzzle? It was not possible. This was serious, far too unordinary to be a coincidence.

"Where's the Puzzle?" Tea spoke up, her voice steady though her eyes were red. "Weird stuff like this is always connected to that thing."

"He wasn't wearing it." Yugi replied sullenly, speaking for the first time since they had left. His voice was soft, empty. "He left it at home."

"We should check it out." Joey said, his hands tightening on the wheel. "See if we can't figure out what the heck's goin' on."

"Yeah, we could try and use it to find out what happened to Yami." Tristan agreed, and both of them latched onto the idea, using it as a shield against the weight of reality. So long as they could make themselves believe that they were making progress, they could keep their minds and their hearts away from the truth.

Yugi stayed silent, knowing secretly that it would not do any good. What could they do that had not already been tried? Yami himself could not have said how the Puzzle's magic worked, how could they expect to find anything else? He sighed and hung his head, squeezing his eyes closed in a futile attempt to block Yami's echoing words from his mind.

_"Who are you..."_

Tea reached across the seat and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly, and he accepted the gesture with gratitude. He knew he would need all of his strength and more to face this reality.

The car slowed suddenly, distracting Yugi from his thoughts. "Home sweet home." Joey announced, though his jovial tone was forced.

Yugi made to get out, but Joey stopped him for a moment. He gripped his shoulder tightly.

"Listen Yug, I know this is hard for you. Heck, it's rough on all of us. But it's going to be okay. You're not alone in this. We're here for ya." Joey promised softly.

"If you need anything, just call." Tristan added, turning to look at him. "We'll come by in the morning and see what we can find."

"Thanks." Yugi murmured, jumping out of the car. He turned to look back once more as they drove away. He watched the red tail lights disappear around the corner with a strange, detached air. He stumbled back into the house with his eyes watering.

"Grandpa?" Yugi called softly into the depths of the dark house. No answer, he must be asleep. Yugi hung up his jacket in the dark and paused, his hand over the light switch.

A humorless laugh escaped him. What did it matter? The light could not help him now. He walked up the stairs in the pitch blackness, the things in his mind and in his heart dancing along in front of him.

He checked his grandpa's room on the way, and was not surprised to find him fast asleep. These past few days had been hard on all of them. Yugi sighed and closed the door, wishing he could fall asleep so easily. He knew in his heart that he would be up all night worrying.

Yugi crept into his own room and leaned on the door, sighing heavily. His heart felt like it were made of thick ice; it refused to crack. He tried in vain to lift his spirits, to convince himself that everything was going to be okay, but his thoughts sounded empty even to him.

_What's going to happen?_ He wondered sullenly, his inner voice monotone. _How are we going to get out of this one?_

No answers came back to him from the darkness of his mind. Just lonely echoes.

He slipped into his night clothes and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over his head to block what little he could see of the room. Random snippets and images played on his eyelids, pictures of the past.

They were of Yami mostly, thoughts of the battles they had fought and won, and even of the one they had lost. The one against Kaiba. Yugi shuddered, suddenly understanding, truly understanding what was driving Kaiba that day atop the castle. He was dueling to save his brother... he was fighting to save his best friend's soul.

_Is this how he felt? _Yugi wondered, clutching at his heart. _Did he think that he would never see Mokuba again? No wonder he was so determined to win. Even at the cost of his own life... I think I would have done the same. To even _think _about loosing Yami to this... thing..._

He whimpered at that thought, and wished it had never come to him. Kaiba was right. Life was just too empty without your family beside you. Yugi huddled under his blankets, tightly curled into a ball, gasping for breath that would not come and trying to escape the horrible thoughts.

But how could you run from your own mind?

He kept thinking about Yami, and how much he needed him. How much he cared for him. He could not stop picturing him lying there, on that hospital bed, so alone... And worst of all, those three cursed words were replaying themselves over and over again in his mind: _Who are you?_

_I'm Yugi._ He thought, but the words were overwhelmed by the darkness. Yugi had never been so terrified in his entire life. He had to move, to escape, to get away from his own thoughts somehow! He jumped out of bed and ran across the hall, his inner doubts and fears nipping at his heels like demons. He burst into Yami's open room and slammed the door, cutting off the voices, the nightmarish voices. Suddenly the only sound in his mind was his own heartbeat and breathing.

He was alone.

_Make up your mind. _He mumbled to himself. _One minute you're trying to get away and the next you want the voices to come back._

He took a deep, steadying breath and stepped more fully into the room, unsure what he was doing in here. Yami was not here. Yami was lying in the hospital, having no idea who he was or why he was there, or who those strange people that came to see him were...

No, Yugi shook his head to force the thoughts away. Yami was not here... but his presence was. Yami was in this room, even if his body was not.

Yugi took another breath, recognizing that familiar scent that accompanied the former spirit. The smell of sand and sun. Yugi stumbled to Yami's bed, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.

He paused briefly, when he noticed that Yami's shirt was still slung over the back of his chair. Yami never left clothes out like that. Everything he owned was neatly tucked away into its proper place, where it belonged. He must have just thought he would hang it up in the morning, and with everything that happened he just forgot..

And now he might not ever get the chance...

Heart aching, his only desire to recapture some of the very essence that made up who Yami was, Yugi took off his own nightshirt and replaced it with Yami's. The fabric was much too big for him, and the sleeves flopped down over his hands. But the fabric was soft, and just for some reason just knowing that Yami had worn it brought small comfort to him. Yugi slid into bed and grabbed Yami's Kuriboh pillow, hugging it tightly. It wasn't the same. A real person would have hugged back, a real brother would have smiled and sighed in contentment as the world slid into its proper place. The pillow just lay there in his arms indifferently.

A tear splashed onto the fabric, then another, and another, until Yugi was steadily crying a river of hopelessness. He buried his face in the pillow and inhaled, choking back a sob. The smell was his, and it made his heart tremble, like a needle had reached through and stabbed him.

"Please..." he cried desperately, his voice no more than a whisper. "Please let this all be a nightmare... Don't let him forget us..."

But the words were hopeless. He knew this was one nightmare that he could not wake from.

****

The next morning dawned clear and cold. Not a sound penetrated the still air, the silence was thick and heavy. Yugi felt like he had not slept for even a moment, though he knew several hours had passed. His dreams and his reality had blended together into one long period of time in which he could not discern light from dark.

His pillow was soaked through, and the water had evaporated on his face, hundreds of salty skeletons leaving it feeling crusted and rough. He sighed and rubbed his face, trying desperately not to think.

The thoughts came anyway.

_Yami can't have forgotten us... His sickness was not even affecting his mind! He just caught a bad cold, that was all! There is no way that _that_ was responsible for his sudden memory loss. There must be something else we don't know about._

_ Yami would have never forgotten about me..._

Yugi grimaced and pushed away the blankets, standing tall. Today was a new day. He was going to find out what had happened to Yami, he was going to fix it, and he was _going_ to get his best friend back.

He had never backed down from any challenge before. When Kaiba had first dueled him, he had stayed firm until the very end, allowing him to draw the one monster that could win. When Pegasus had drawn Yugi into his twisted world, he and Yami had fought long and hard, never wavering for more than an instant. This was no different.

There was no way he would let something as common, as _ordinary_ as an illness defeat his partner. Yami deserved a much better ending to his tale than that.

Moments later he was on the phone with Joey, speaking in a low monotone.

"Yeah... No, I can't just... I think so too. Ok. As soon as you can, I... not yet. Listen, I'll explain on the way over, alright? ... Yes. See ya."

He hung up with a sigh, and moved to fetch his coat. A tired call stopped him in his tracks.

"Yugi? Where are you off too this early?" Grandpa asked him, stepping down from the stairs.

"I'm going to go see Yami." Yugi replied, and to his credit his voice never wavered. Solomon sighed, but managed a weak smile. "Good idea. What he needs most right now is some good company, people that he can depend on. You and Joey should be able to bring his spirits up in no time at all."

Yugi just nodded soundlessly, doing his best to bite back the sob that was thrashing in his heart. "I'll be back in a few hours." He mumbled, wrenching the door open and heading out into the cold morning air without another word. He stood in the doorway for many moments, before Joey's car pulled up and they sped off in the direction of the hospital.

"Yugi Moto." He said tiredly to the kindly woman at the receptionist's desk. "I'm here to visit Yami Moto, in room five."

"Ah yes, you must be the poor boy's brother." She said, and the sympathy in her eyes made Yugi want to scream. _Such a shame_. Her eyes whispered. _He was such a healthy young thing, so vibrant and full of life... Now he can't even hardly remember his own name..._

Yugi unconsciously grit his teeth in pure frustration, his hands tightening to fists at his sides. _He doesn't need your pity!_ He wanted to shout, wanting to vent his helplessness into these people. _He's going to be just fine! I show you, I'll show you all, I'll save him! I know I can..._

Joey's hand gripped his shoulder, a gesture that was firm, but not unkind. It helped to bring Yugi down to a calm and collected level.

"Yes." He sighed, sounding as though he could drop to the floor from exhaustion right then and there. "Yes, that's me."

He caught Joey looking at him from the corner of his eye as they walked in silence, a look that was filled to the brim with honest understanding and true sadness. Yugi ignored him until they reached the room, and Joey grabbed his arm again and gently spun him around. Yugi's determined, angry mask melted under the weight of the gaze that Joey fixed on him. Silently, tears began to stream from his face.

"Yugi, just hear me out." Joey murmured, his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "It's going to be fine. Everything is going to turn out alright. Okay? Trust me on this one, I've seen what Yami is capable of. I've seen him fight with a lot of heart, a lot of passion. He has what it takes to get through this, you just need to remind him of who he is."

Yugi almost laughed at the irony in that statement. Who he was? None of them even knew that much about him. But Joey caught the look in his eyes and whispered even softer than before.

"Not who he _used_ to be, who he is _now_."

_Who he is now..._ Yugi echoed mentally. And just who was that? Before he could find the answer though, he spotted Joey walking away.

"Wait!" Yugi called after him. "Aren't you going to stay?"

"Can't." Joey called back. "I don't have a sick note for my teacher." He turned and flashed a smile at Yugi before he rounded the corner and was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the really long wait you guys, I haven't been feeling very well myself lately. Not sick just... burned out. I hope this little tidbit will keep you satisfied until I get bak into the swing of things.**

** Thanks for waiting!**

Yugi sighed gently, turning to the door once again. He had to stop for a moment, watching his hand tremble inches above the doorknob. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, pushing into the room without giving himself any more time to hesitate.

He stumbled in and shut the door, his head bowed. Silently, he waited. Should he speak? Or should he wait for Yami to break the silence?

Yami did, but not in the way Yugi expected. A rough, jagged sounding snore filled the room quietly, the sound painfully reminding Yugi of someone trying to breathe through a phlegm filled airway. He raised his head and opened his eyes, silently creeping closer to the bedside.

Yami looked terrible. The skin under his eyes was dark and unhealthy looking, as though he had not slept well in weeks. His cheeks were sunken and hollow, his breathing rough and uneven. Yugi's heart shuddered silently, going out to the frayed and broken spirit on the cold hospital bed.

For the first time in his life, Yugi had no idea what he was supposed to do. A part of him, (a large part of him,) wanted to slide under the covers too, slip into the crook of Yami's arm where he fit so well, and try and give what little health he could through touch alone. But the other part of him reminded him that if Yami were to awaken, he would likely be very startled and confused. And since their relationship had just been knocked violently back to a starting position, Yugi figured that he would have to take it more slowly from now on.

Still, he had to catch himself from reaching out and feeling Yami's forehead when Yami sighed from the depths of his sleep. Such an action came so naturally to him, it felt strange to have to be holding back. When someone needed him, he was there. Now he was trying to figure out how to sit on his hands, in a figurative sense. He needed to curb those instinctual desires to offer a helping hand.

Yugi's movements were still hesitant, so unsure. He fetched a chair from the wall and pulled it up to Yami's bedside, putting his elbows on the mattress and his chin in his hands. He watched Yami for a moment, listening to his ragged breathing. He thought that if he focused hard enough, he might be able to actually see Yami's life force fading. It was not exactly a comforting thought.

Yami coughed again, a hoarse, ugly, painful sound. A small whimper chased after it, and his hands unconsciously gripped the sheets. Slowly, carefully measuring his reaction, Yugi did the only thing he could think of and slipped his hand into Yami's. His grip relaxed almost instantly, and the rest of his breath escaped him in a soft yet stressful sigh.

A slight pallor of confusion settled on his sleeping face, a testament to the war that his heart and his mind were now fighting.

_He knows me..._ Yugi thought sadly. _He just doesn't know he does._

He squeezed gently, lowering his head to the mattress.

"Do you remember?" He asked softly, not expecting a response. "Do you remember the first day we met? Truly met, face to face? I'll never forget it." He laughed softly, tiredly.

"Who would've thought that Bakura had a Millennium Item as well... It was so strange, when I found out that he had one, I felt... scared. I could almost feel the dark magic coming from it. It was so different from the Puzzle." He trailed off, subconsciously comparing Bakura's spirit with Yami.

"Poor Bakura..." Yugi mumbled. "His Item held a spirit that was indifferent towards him. His yami was not his friend, and no doubt it would have killed him, given the chance."

Yugi looked at Yami again, trying to see if his words were having any effect. He couldn't tell.

"I trusted you, you know, even then. Even though I did not know who you were, I trusted you with my life, all our lives. I knew that the voice whispering to me for all that time must have been you, and that I wasn't going crazy at all. I knew that you were real..."

Yugi went on, recalling as many memories of them as he could, all of the positive lights he could find within himself to offer.

"I never told you, did I?" He asked, hours later, after a rather long reflective pause in which Yugi had not spoken, and the only sound that had pierced the silence had been the steady 'beep' of the heart monitor.

"That last duel, the one against Pegasus, I thought I was a goner." His hand had long ago gone numb, but he had not moved it an inch, needing to feel that Yami was still there to reassure himself.

"I knew I couldn't stand against the tide of shadows that he was forcing over me. Every breath was like fire, every heartbeat sent needles through every inch of my soul. Even when you took over, I could feel the pain hovering just on the edge of control, threatening to tear through your defenses and get to me. More than anything else though, I hated that time because while I was tucked safely away inside my Soul Room, _you_ were the one standing against the pain. That's why I did it Yami, that's why I had to play that one card. I knew, somehow, that if I was brave enough to come out and stand against the pain, even for only a moment, then the Heart of the Cards would help me. I _knew_ that."

Gently, he shifted closer, his arm tingling as the blood began to flow again. "I thought I was going to die. I was ready for that. I was almost glad, in a way, because then I knew I had died for a good cause. I knew we would win, you and I, but I fully suspected that I might not make it out alive. I never told you though, that the only thing that kept my soul right where it was, was you."

One tear, one single tear, escaped him and rolled down his face. That single drop reflected all the pain of a tortured soul.

"You were my anchor. Even though you didn't know it, your spirit refused to release me. My soul clung to you for dear life, and I managed to stay there long enough for my friends to come and wrap me in a net that I could never slip from. I was safe then, but only because your faith in me was so great, our bond so strong, that you couldn't let me go. I owe you my life Yami, I owe you my grandfather's soul... I owe you so much, and I promise I won't let that debt go unpaid. I will get your memories back, somehow, and together we'll delve even deeper, and unlock the secrets in your past that have been kept from you for so long. This is my promise to you."

Yugi sighed, his head sinking onto the pillow again, his hand still in Yami's.

"I promise..." He mumbled, as his eyes closed and he sunk into his dreams.

****

Shifting, dancing, and twirling out of reach. Flittering and floating, jumping and hiding. Every time he reached for one, it would glide away, seeming to giggle: "Come and chase me, come and find me."

He bounced along after them, shifting through the shadows that they were concealed within and feeling a smile crease his weary face. He drew nearer to the beautiful silvery, flowing ribbons, and the closer he got the more their light seemed to illuminate his own mind.

The doubts and the questions simply vanished, and he was left with the calm feeling of peace and understanding. But then, all at once, the silver lights turned tail and fled, scattering into the darkness as fast as falling stars and taking his recovered mental stability with them.

A second later he realized what had caused them to flee. A great, dark, dog like monster rose from the darkness in front of him, sensing that he was holding more memories deep within his heart. It was determined, driven by an instinct that even it did not understand, to devour every single memory within Yami`s mind. There was no alternative. It lowered its massive head and parted its jaws in order to snap him up.

Yami screamed and threw his hands up, not desiring to see the killing blow fall. A small light shot from his hands as he did so, tearing through the darkness and blinding the beast for an instant. An instant was long enough, Yami sent his mind back across the dreamscape and into his body, feeling hundreds of his memories falling away from him as he did so.

When he opened his eyes, he remembered nothing of the dream nor the Memory Eater. He was just a confused teenager with no past experiences to call upon, no memory of who he was. And right now, he was very, very cold. The only small spot of warmth on him was his hand...

He glanced down, blearily letting his eyes drop to his shoulder, then trace their way down his arm, landing at last upon his hand. He blinked, confused.

_That`s not my hand..._ he thought to himself, seeing two hands entwined on the sheets. He followed the other hand up the arm and to the youth that lay sleeping softly, his head turned away from Yami. The sound of his soft breathing filled the room gently.

Yami unconsciously opened his mouth, seeking to utter the name of the boy. But he stopped, the word caught in his throat, unable to come out. The name danced just on the edge of his mind, teasing him, tormenting him. Yami sighed in disgust. He couldn`t remember.

Slowly, he pulled his hand away, and used it to brush the hair out of Yugi`s eyes.

_Who are you? _He wondered, honestly attempting to recall where in his life he had seen the boy before. He felt so familiar...

Yugi stirred a bit at the touch, blinking in the light and raising his head with a start. Yami withdrew his hand quickly, and an awkward silence settled between them.

"G-Good morning." Yugi mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning." Yami replied softly, unsure what else to say. He just stared, trying to find something, anything within his mind that would aid him in remembering his life. But nothing came.

Yugi could see the torment within his eyes, a profound sense of confusion and loss. He figured that they might as well get started.

"Um..." He blushed, so unsure how to begin. Where do you start piecing together the broken fragments of shattered memories?

"I... My name is Yugi." Yugi said softly, hesitantly extending his hand. Yami took it gently, his eyes never leaving Yugi's face.

"I am Yami." He offered in return, and Yugi blinked in some surprise. Maybe he did remember some things after all...

"Yugi?" Yami asked, as if testing the word. He leaned forward a bit.

"I know you." Yami whispered. It was not a question. He tilted his head, his deep eyes peering intently into Yugi's in earnest.

"Yes." Yugi breathed, hope in his eyes. "Yes, you do. We know each other very well."

"Yes." Yami sighed, closing his eyes, searching. But his mind was as dark as the backs of his eyelids. Empty. Gone. This knowledge did not come from his mind then... but from where?

"What else do you remember?" Yugi asked, shifting in his seat so that he was facing Yami directly. "What do you still have?"

"That is just it. I don't _have_ anything. The entire inside of my head is blank, there is nothing there. But then how is it I know you..?" He wondered to himself, trailing off to look out the window. The sun was shining, but he felt none of it's warmth. He felt rather chill actually, like his internal furnace was broken. He shivered.

Yugi looked at him curiously, chewing on his bottom lip. "Oh! I've got an idea, wait here."

He crossed the room to his jacket, which hung on the hook on the wall. After a second of rummaging through the pockets, he pulled out a small rectangle with a cry of triumph. He came back to the bed and sat on the edge, spreading the cards on Yami's lap.

"Pick one." He said, sitting back and waiting. Yami sensed that there was more to this than met the eye, and so he did not just randomly reach into the pile and select one. He scanned each carefully, cautiously waiting for something to spark his interest. He tried to memorize their names, tried to seek some familiarity.

The Celtic Guardian, Spell Binding Circle, Silver Fang, Beaver Warrior, The Dark Magician, Horn of the Unicorn...

_Wait._ Something bade him, and he stopped, waiting breathlessly. He moved back through the pile, searching for the card that had reached for him. His hand moved of it's own accord it seemed, delicately picking up the card.

"'The Dark Magician.'" He said, feeling something stir within him at that name. But again, this feeling did not come from his mind.

"I knew you would pick that one." Yugi smiled, seeming pleased. Yami just looked at him.

"How?"

"Because you are bound to him, and he to you." Yugi explained carefully, measuring his reaction. Yami looked confused.

"I am bound to... a card?" He echoed, clearly confused. "That's ridiculous."

"No, it's true!" Yugi argued. "See, he's more than just a card. He's actually a real creature, a manifestation of someone who actually lived once upon a time. See, it works like this..."

And so, for the next few hours, Yugi explained to Yami all about the Heart of the Cards, and as much as he could about each of the monsters in his grandfather's deck. Yugi sat perched on the end of Yami's hospital bed, waving his hands as he spoke and trying his best to paint as vivid a picture as he could. In his heart he dared to hope that all of this was nothing more than a friendly conversation between companions reminiscing over the past and the fun they'd had together. But he also painfully realized that he was the only one contributing.

The conversation gradually expanded from there, and switched from pleasant trivial topics to more serious points in their lives. More memorable part. And so he retold the story of Duelist Kingdom and Pegasus.

But he left out the Millennium Items for the moment, unsure how he would even begin to explain that one. He would have to approach it delicately.

"And so after we dueled Joey we squared off against Pegasus. It was a long and hard battle for both of us, but we won in the end."

Yami had watched him carefully throughout the entire retelling, waiting for any of Yugi's words to strike a cord within him. None had.

"Can I meet our friends?" Yami asked, trying to be optimistic. Perhaps they could help him together...

"That's actually a really good idea." Yugi agreed, standing. "I'll go see if the doctors will let you out of the hospital for a bit. That way I can take you for a walk and we'll be able to point out some things about everyday life around here, things that are familiar and routine." Yugi turned to leave, and Yami stopped him with a soft call.

"Yugi... Thank you." He whispered. "I know this must be hard for you, seeing as how you and I obviously shared such a strong bond. Forgive me... I will remember."

Yugi just smiled. "I know. We'll figure this out, I know."

****

"Wait so, what are we doing?" Tristan asked as he and Yugi raced down the halls. Yugi had pulled him out of class with the excuse of a friend in the hospital, and now they were attempting to get out of the school without being questioned too much. While it was entirely true that a friend was in the hospital, his condition was not life threatening (as far as they knew,) and so they would not normally be allowed to go see him. But Yugi knew they could not afford to wait. The longer this strangeness kept going for, the less of a chance they would have to stop it before it got out of hand.

"We're going to take Yami out for a day on the town." Yugi explained breathlessly, stopping before another classroom that Tea was in at the moment. "I'm hoping that if we each take him to different places, places that hold memories for all of us, we can bring his own back to him."

"Great, so where do we start?" Tristan asked eagerly, wanting to start as soon as was possible.

"I need you to go get Joey and meet Tea and I in front of the school in five minutes." Yugi instructed him.

"Done and done." Tristan saluted, and then ran off to get Joey. Yugi knocked on the door to the room and tried his best to make his face look haggard and sorrowful.

"Excuse me please," Yugi asked, apologizing to the teacher whom he'd caught in mid-gesture. He lowered his arm and sighed.

"Yes, what is it Mr. Moto?" The teacher asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. Yugi looked at him pitifully, and that look set the man back a bit.

"I need to borrow Tea for a while sir." He explained, his voice wavering. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, seeing her pale.

"It's Yami, he's in the hospital, and he's... not doing very well."

"Oh..." The teacher suddenly let out his breath, he looked as though he had been deflated. "Yes, yes of course. You may go, miss Gardner. Take your books with you, I can excuse you for the period."

Tea wordlessly gathered up her things, her hands trembling. She stumbled past the teacher and nodded gratefully, her eyes shining. He watched her go with a sympathetic expression.

"Yugi?" She asked breathlessly, clutching her books to her chest and looking positively terrified. "Is he... is he...?"

"He's okay." Yugi assured her, reaching out to grip her arm firmly. She sighed in relief and relaxed her tense posture.

"We're going to meet up with Tristan and Joey in a minute, and I'll explain what's going on on the way."

They arrived at the hospital only moments later, and by then they had decided on a course of action. They each held special memories with Yami, times that were precious to them because their respective bonds with him had each grown stronger on a particular occasion. They hoped that by retracing their steps and revisiting those moments and locations, that they could bring back Yami's other memories as well. It was with hopeful hearts that they set out.

The Memory Eater licked it's lips patiently. And waited.


	9. Chapter 9

Strangely enough, in the short time they were gone, Yami's condition had stabilized, and then dramatically improved. His colour returned to him, and all the machine scans showed nothing but positive results. The doctors let him go when the gang came to get him, shaking their heads in amazement.

Yugi took it as a good sign; hoped that it meant Yami was finally recovering. He could not deny that there was a shine in his friend's eyes, a curiosity that rivalled that of a newborn. He was looking at everything with clear and fresh eyes, and suddenly it seemed that the quest to get his memories back was not as hopeless as it was beginning to sound. Maybe there was a chance after all?

****

"What is this?" Yami asked, perplexed, as Joey handed him a small paper stick that was completely swathed in a huge ball of fluff. The pink strands looked like an extremely wound up spider's web.

"_That_," Joey replied, handing the vendor some money. "Is the greatest invention in the world of sweets since the legendary chocolate bar."

Yami raised his eyebrow a bit at that, looking at the ball incredulously. "You can _eat_ this stuff?"

"Yup." Joey smiled happily, and he pinched a bit of the fluff between two fingers and stuck it in his mouth. A look of bliss crossed his face, and he sighed contentedly. "Here, you try some."

Yami accepted his piece with a little apprehension. He tentatively put it in his mouth, and his eyes grew wide.

"It vanished!" He murmured, looking at the cotton candy in wonder. Joey laughed.

"Yeah, you had that same reaction the first time you tried some of this stuff. Remember?" He asked slyly, gesturing to the vast park. "When Tea won those tickets to the opening of this place? Man did we have some fun! Remember the mini doughnuts? And the corndogs? And the rides too, I guess..." He paused, letting the words sink in.

Yami frowned, and absently took another bite of the sugary cloud. "No." He decided at length. "I'm so-"

"Don't worry about it." Joey clapped him on the shoulder and cut him off mid-apology. "We've got forever and a day to get it back. So quit apologizing, you've got nothing to worry about."

"Right. Thanks." Yami smiled, a bit sheepishly.

"Sure thing, bud." Joey said. He was doing a remarkable job, trying to give Yami some sort of lead to his thoughts, but he never showed any disappointment when those leads turned up dry.

They wandered around the park for a few more hours, going on all sorts of rides and playing a few games, and right before Joey's time with him was up, he took Yami on the rollercoaster.

...Which may not have been the best idea after eating all that amusement park junk food.

Joey patted Yami's back in apology as the teen hunched over the bushes beside the ride.

"Sorry about that." Joey winced when Yami convulsed beneath him. "I guess I never really expected that particular ride to bring anything back to ya..."

"Oh, something is coming back up alright." Yami murmured sarcastically, his face pale. He stood after another second and wiped his mouth. "Blech."

"You can say that again." Joey made a sour face and handed Yami a handkerchief. He checked his watch as Yami wiped his sweat streaked face.

"Oops, time's up. Tea will be waiting for us." Joey commented, grabbing Yami's hand and hauling him through the park. When they reached the entrance, Joey spotted Tea's car and headed over.

"Tristan said to meet him at the arcade when you're done." Joey instructed her, leaning on her window frame. Yami slipped into the passenger seat. "Nothing too harsh, alright? He's a bit weak in the stomach right now."

"Really? What happened?" She inquired, looking at him. Yami shot Joey an ugly glare from the corner of his eye.

"Took him on the rollercoaster. Shook him up a bit, just for giggles. Hey Yami," Joey grinned a positively evil grin.

"Don't you dare..." Yami started.

"Nachos." Joey finished with a smirk, and Yami groaned and put his head in his hand. "I hate you."

"I know. See ya later!" Joey waved cheekily as they drove away.

"Geez." Tea sighed, leaning back in the chair. "So... what do you want to do?"

"Anything that doesn't involve food." Yami pleaded, and she laughed.

"How about a dip in the ocean? The sea breeze will clear your head."

"I don't have my swimming gear..." Yami started to say, but Tea gestured to the backseat.

"I picked yours up before I came." She explained. "We're all set if you do want to go."

"Sure, a nice swim sounds rather refreshing." Yami agreed, a bit of the strength returning to him.

The ocean did not let him down on that point. The water was cold and clear and startlingly fresh. The afternoon sun filtered through the azure waters like golden thread, stirring the sand at the bottom and glittering off of the scales of the tiny, colourful fish. They darted this way and that when Yami and Tea approached, and Yami figured with an amused smile that he would probably swim away too if he was suddenly confronted with a giant fish in a snorkelling mask.

They explored the coral reefs for the better part of the next hour, amazed at the sheer amount of life that was contained in the vibrant husk. Yami searched for treasure and actually found a meager sum, mostly cheap rings and coins lost by boaters. Still, he figured he was doing the ocean a favour by removing the metal.

It was not until they were just getting ready to leave that something exciting happened. They had come up to get a better peek at the sun, to judge the time, when Tea suddenly gave a gasp and held up her wrist.

"Shoot, I lost my bracelet! Hang on, I'll see if I can find it real quick." She was back under the water before Yami could even get his mask back on, and as soon as he was ready he jumped after her.

The second he submerged, he knew something was terribly wrong. Call it instinct, a sixth sense, duelists intuition, whatever you like, some sort of alarm was screaming at him inside. He looked down between his flippered feet, and saw Tea, about a boat's length away from him, swimming in place.

And the killer whale that was not even half that distance right in front of her.

Slowly, not making any sudden movements, he descended in front of her and spread his arms out to block her from the creature's view.

It was not a large whale, it was likely not even past childhood yet, but Yami knew better than to treat it with any less respect. He did not move, but he looked the whale straight in it's tiny black eyes with all confidence. It did not move either, except to pump its large tail up and down to keep it aloft. A stream of bubbles issued from his mouth, and the whale looked at them as they rose to the surface. Then, it let out a low, crying keen, a sound that pulsed in, around, and through them, and let a few bubbles escape from it, too.

Then the creature apparently lost interest, for it turned about and swam away leisurely, more than likely going back to its mother. Yami planned to be far from here in case it decided to return.

Later, when they finally made it to shore, Tea pulled off her mask and ran a hand through her wet hair. "How did you do that?" She asked him, and he only shrugged, having no answers for her.

"I do not know." He murmured. "I felt something well up inside me when I saw the creature. When I saw you in front of the beast, I could not stop myself. I... I had to protect you."

He swallowed a bit uncomfortably, but he ploughed ahead, needing to express to himself what had happened. "I just knew that... that I needed to do it, that I needed to be sure I was between you and whatever danger came your way. It was almost done without a choice, I just stood up to it. And I think it sensed that, that's why it left."

"Wow." Tea murmured, looking at him wide eyed. Then, abruptly, she hugged him. "Thanks, you saved me."

Yami blinked, startled, before he tentatively wrapped his arms around her and hugged back. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

_Friends...? _He thought, feeling something surfacing in his heart. _Yes, my friends. I must protect them, I must make sure that nothing happens to them..._

A flash of something crossed his mind, like a torn piece of a moving picture. He saw his friends standing side by side on the beach, holding hands and facing the sunset.

_My friends. _He sighed, that one fragment turning itself into a warm seed. He tucked it into a far corner of his heart, determined never to lose its light again.

****

The Memory Eater scratched angrily at the walls of the Millennium Puzzle, searching. Always, it was searching. It was enlarged to grotesque proportions from engorging itself on so many memories, both old and new. But still it was not content. It had to consume _all_ of the memories. And so far, it was not working. Sure, it may have devoured everything in sight, and it still took great pleasure in tearing apart whatever it could not eat, but it was not enough. Yami should have been sickly and weak, there should be no more barriers left within his mind to stop the beast. But he wasn't, and there was, and the Memory Eater was running out of time. It could sense that it's time in this world was coming to an end, and it would soon be sucked back into its own realm. It had to get to the memories before then, but how could it when Yami just kept making more?

It roared loudly, a rumble that shook the stones and blew out what was left of the light. The time was now. It could very well destroy itself this way, but it did not care. It did not think. With the interior of the Puzzle plunged into blackness, it went into a berserk frenzy. It tore through the stone like a devil, knowing that it would destroy itself if it continued.

Undaunted, the monster did not stop. It could not stop. It did not care, and if a beast could smile, this one did.

****

"Watch your back, there are two more coming through that door!" Tristan called, swinging the gun around and pointing it over Yami's shoulder. Two well placed shots took out the zombies shuffling through the doorway, and Yami ducked under Tristan's outstretched arm and fired at the others already in the room.

Cheers and scattered applause went up all around the room, cheers that inevitably grew louder the closer they got to breaking the high score. Yami suddenly stood up and pushed Tristan out of the way.

"Look out!" He shouted, and Tristan understood the danger immediately. He spun on his heel and brought his weapon to bear.

"Down!" He commanded, and Yami dropped to the floor just as he fired. The bullet caught the descending monster just as it leapt from the ceiling, the force of the shot sending it clear of its intended mark to crash against the table.

"CONGRAAAAATULATIONS!" The game shouted, and the loudest cheer yet burst from the crowd. "YOU JUST MADE THE HIGH SCORE!"

"Alright!" Tristan hooted, punching his fist into the air in victory. "High five!"

Yami smiled as they clapped hands together. _Just like old times._

When they left the arcade later that night, the sun was down and the stars were out. They paused for a moment at the entryway, stretching languidly.

"That was fun!" Tristan said happily, making his way over to the motorbike. "I guess they don't call you the 'King of Games' for nothing!"

Yami stopped suddenly, the title bringing a spark of recognition. "They do?" He asked dazedly as he climbed onto the back of the machine. "Who's 'they'?"

"Oh, you know, the media, fellow duelists, other celebrities. Kaiba would never admit to it, but I would bet a fortune that that's the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of you." Tristan smirked at that, entertaining a mental image of a sour faced Kaiba. He chuckled.

The engine revved mightily and they took off, Yami put his arm around Tristan in simple caution as they sped away. He looked to the stars as he tried to process this new revelation. King of Games. He liked that.

****

Yugi took a deep breath and picked up the Millennium Puzzle from it's spot on the desk. It looked at him forlornly with its single, golden eye.

"I know." Yugi told it. "I miss him too. But don't worry. Tonight I'll explain everything, about all of the Millennium Items. I'll tell him about how I found him in the Puzzle, and about how Bakura has a spirit in his Ring, too." Yugi slipped the chain around his neck, thoughtful. "I wonder if the other Items have spirits in them too?" He mused.

As he made his way back down the stairs, he caught his friend's voices wafting from the living room softly. He dashed to the window to give a quick check to make sure Tristan and Yami had not arrived yet, and then joined them.

"So what's the plan?" Joey asked, as soon as he spotted Yugi. He and Tea were seated around the coffee table, chatting in low tones. Both turned their attention to him as he sat down, for he shared the strongest bond with the wandering soul, and so they figured that he would know what to do best.

"As soon as Tristan gets here, I'm going to try and explain things fully, from the very beginning. From the time I put the Puzzle together to the end of Duelist Kingdom. This time, I won't leave anything out. He deserves to know that he was not really born into this time, he needs to know that he's different. I asked you guys here so that you can fill in any details that I miss, and I think having you here will soften the blow somewhat."

"Okay." Tea agreed, her hands clasped together in determination. "We can do this."

Yugi desperately hoped that her words were true.

****

"Tristan..." Yami murmured in a low and serious monotone. "Stop the bike."

"What?" Tristan asked incredulously. "I can't just pull over man, we're in the middle of the highway!"

"Tristan please!" Yami begged. He didn't have time to explain. He felt it coming, distantly, but growing closer every second. He knew that the darkness of unconsciousness-or a deeper darkness still-was fast approaching, for suddenly he could hardly register what was going on. He started to slump to the side, feebly trying to hold on with failing limbs.

Tristan cursed under his breath and slammed on the brakes, throwing one arm out behind him in an attempt to stop Yami from falling off of the bike. Horns blared and tires screeched all around him, and he quickly pulled to the side of the road, throwing a wave of apology every few minutes.

"Sorry, sorry!" He called back over his shoulder, and when he had parked he jumped off the motorcycle just in time to catch the falling teen.

"Whoa!" He breathed, trying to haul Yami back up to the bike. "Yami. Yami! Wake up, this is no time to go all freaky on me!"

Yami did not respond other than to groan, his breath coming too fast. Tristan shifted him farther up the bike and jumped back on quickly, waiting for a second before weaving back into the flow of traffic. Yami slumped back to rest against his chest, his head lolling aimlessly to the side as he issued another low groan.

_Not now..._ Tristan begged silently, trying to keep a firm grip on his friend so that he didn't fall off. _Please, we were so close, not now!_

****

Yugi sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, feeling a surge of ice course though him. It stung his heart and coated his mind with frost.

"Something's wrong." He whispered, dimly amazed that snowflakes did not come cascading out of his mouth when he spoke. His teeth chattered slightly.

Just then the door was kicked open, it banged against the far wall loudly, and Yugi watched in a distant kind of horror when Tristan came in, bearing an unconscious Yami in his arms.

"Yugi, help! I don't know what's wrong with him!" Tristan pleaded, setting Yami on the couch. Yugi made as though to stand up, but his brain shut down as soon as he got to his feet. He fell in a weird sort of slow motion, his eyes half open and unfocused. A great rushing sound filled his ears, and as he fell over Yami he was dimly aware of the others rushing to catch him. But they were too late, he slumped into Yami just as a great shadow closed over him.

The whole room descended into complete and utter chaos. Lights flickered and dimmed, the whole house shook as though an earthquake had struck. Tea screamed as she was thrown back, landing with a heavy thump against the couch. Joey staggered blindly forward, grabbing Yugi's now unconscious form and trying to haul him to his feet, screaming for him to wake up.

The Millennium Puzzle swung on it's chain haphazardly, hanging directly above Yami's stomach. Then, it began to glow. A great burst of light engulfed the entire room, illuminating their terrified faces. Three separate, distinct flashes accompanied it, and then it was over.

The room quieted, the lights returned. Everything came to a shuddering halt.

Tea slumped, her head hitting her chest. Joey numbly dropped Yugi, who fell into a kneeling position, his head on Yami's chest. Then he too, fell, crashing heavily into the coffee table. Tristan sagged to the floor, his eyes unseeing.

The Millennium Puzzle darkened dramatically, it's golden walls no longer any colour of the sort. It turned as black as the night sky without a moon, and then it shattered.


	10. Chapter 10

Yugi sat up slowly, holding his pounding head in his hands. He groaned and winced, not overly hurt, though he was sore. He had to blink a few times at his surroundings, not understanding where he was. Then...

"The Puzzle?" He gasped, recognizing the twisting labyrinths and many doors. But as fast as that recognition came, it was swept away. Something was terribly wrong.

There was no light. Well, there was _some_ light, else he would not have been able to see more than an inch in front of his face. But it all came from behind him, and when he looked he realized that it was shining from under the Soul Room door, more than likely coming from his own room. Yami's room was devoid of any kind of light, and that transformed the normally eerie and mysterious Puzzle into a sinister reflection of itself. Danger oozed through the air like poison, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"What on earth is going on?" He wondered aloud, his voice echoing back to him much louder than he had intended. He snapped his mouth shut and listened, trying to see if his voice had disturbed anything. All he could hear was his own heartbeat.

He stood up, not liking the feeling of being alone in the blackness, easy prey for whatever lurked there.

He unconsciously backed up a few steps, until his back was pressed against the Soul Room door. The metal was as cold as ice, the door itself shining like a black abyss. He tried the handle, though in his heart he knew that it would not be that easy. Sure enough, it was locked fast, and the metal was so cold that he had to almost pry his fingers away before they froze in a solid grip.

Yugi tilted his head back and looked up, searching for the familiar, golden, ancient eye. He thought that seeing it would bring a measure of solidity to his rapidly turning world. But if he expected it to be intact, he was sorely mistaken. The eye, the symbol of the Puzzle itself, was cracked.

A thick line marred the surface of the gold. It ran from top to bottom, passing right through the black void of the pupil. A trickle of something dark oozed from the garish wound. Yugi hesitantly reached up with a finger and attempted to stem the flow. He brought his hand back down, holding it to the light so that he could see.

Blood.

He gasped, and looked back up to see the eye flare suddenly with a sickly light, though it faded slowly as though it was dying away. Before the glow faded completely, a small, circular object fell out of the pupil of the eye and bounced to a halt at his feet. Yugi bent down and gingerly picked it up, and as soon as he touched the thing it lit up with it's own inner glow, hovering just above his shoulder. The softer light illuminated the immediate area around him, letting him see for the first time just how bad things within the Puzzle had gotten. He saw the twisted and warped metal of doors flung in random pieces this way and that, some of the empty rooms spilling what was left of deadly traps and wards into useless piles of junk on the floor. Yugi's stomach lurched at the extent of the destruction. Even the walls themselves had not escaped the fury of whatever terrible beast had done this; they sported great black slashes that reeked of the pungent smell of death.

Suddenly, the silence all about him was shattered in the wake of a terrible shriek. The sound echoed from a thousand different locations, intensified and magnified a thousand times over, until it was no longer human. But Yugi recognized the source of that cry, and suddenly his desperate situation was not just his anymore.

"Tea!" He cried, sprinting off into the labyrinth with abandon, the little ball leading the way. Soon both he and the light were swallowed up inside of the living darkness, and the Millennium Eye set in the door ceased to glow.

Somehow, Tea managed to keep her footing in those first few desperate seconds of full on sprinting. She did not know where she was, or how she had gotten here. All she knew was that it was dark, and there was a definite _something_ in the darkness, something that should only belong in nightmares. She ran in the dark, praying that wherever she was, there was lots of space to maneuver.

She tried not to make a sound, tried to put as much distance between her and the thing as she could without letting it know she was there. But she could hear it snorting and shuffling, catching on to her scent, and she knew that when she heard the sudden, thumping footsteps behind her that her time was up.

Terrified, she let out a banshee screech, hoping to disorient or scare off whatever was behind her. But her fear was met with triumph, as the beast let out a roar of victory and plunged after her, thinking her to be another morsel of memory that it could snack upon. Huge jaws snapped and rent at the air only inches behind her, she could feel its breath washing over her, making her gag in disgust.

She was yanked violently off her feet in the next moment, the scruff of her shirt caught in the creature's talons. It jerked her to the floor roughly, and she banged her skull brutally against the unyielding stone. Dazed, fighting to see past the stars in her eyes, she scrambled and kicked, trying to get away. One of her hands flew back to smack it on the nose, but that only served to anger it further, and it gave a sharp tug, hooking her bracelet with a tusk and tearing it off. All of her struggling was to no avail, the beast had her trapped. A line of sick drool splattered onto the stone beside her head, and Tea knew in her heart that the end was upon her.

But the beast gave another roar, this one in pain. She could not know that though, all of its roars sounded exactly the same to her. It straightened from its crouch and snarled at the little Kuriboh that was again latched onto its face, scratching it with thick claws. It gnashed its teeth and growled, but this time the defender would not so easily be fought back.

The distraction gave Tea ample time to put her feet under her, and she scurried behind the next nearest bend in the maze and paused to catch her breath, her heart beating furiously.

She nearly leapt out of her shoes when a hand clapped over her mouth and another entwined around her shoulders, pulling her back and holding her tightly.

"Shh." The voice hushed, and she stopped struggling, recognizing the speaker. "Follow behind me. Don't make a sound."

The hands released her, and one came back to grasp at her empty one to pull her along. She followed blindly, still unable to see, trusting that she would not run into any walls with her guide.

After they had left the angry growls behind far behind, Kuriboh came bouncing out of the dark and brushed past Tea's arm as he went, apparently able to see quite well in the pitch darkness. She let out a small yelp in fear, and her rescuer spun around again and put a hand across her mouth.

"Shh!" He hissed, more emphatically. Then, in gentler tones, he asked. "Kuriboh?"

The little monster chirped in reply.

"Some light if you please."

With another cheery call, the Kuriboh obliged, suddenly lighting up with a rainbow of colours. His fur was ringed with tiny shimmering lights, just enough to allow her to see, but not enough to mark their position.

Tea blinked away the blur in her eyes as they adjusted, and then gasped softly.

"Yami! I knew it was you! What's going on? How are we here? What-"

He held up a hand, pleading for silence. Tea hushed, remembering that the beast that had tried to kill her before was likely still nearby. Yami leaned in and whispered to her instead, in short sentences.

"You're inside the Millennium Puzzle. The others are here too. We have to link up with them." He turned away, thinking that to be enough to satisfy her, but she spun him around again before he had taken a step.

"Is that really you in there?" She asked suspiciously, and he sighed.

"Yes, it's me. All of me. Somehow, when I'm inside of the Puzzle, I still have access to the memories that the beast has already taken from me. It's only when I leave that I lose them again..."

He stopped, hearing something a little ways down the other corridor and thinking it wise to continue moving. The Memory Eater was not an overly stupid thing, and he knew that it recognized stealth as an ally. It would try to sneak up on them next, hoping to catch them unawares. Yami began moving again, trying to put as much distance as he could between them and it, all the while searching for the others.

"Tea! Tea!" Yugi called, again and again, but to no avail. After she had screamed, there had been a chorus of deafening roars that had silenced her cries and chilled him to his soul.

_Oh please don't let her be dead..._ he pleaded, cold fear clamming his hands. Soon enough, the roars too, stopped, and Yugi lost his bearings. He was lost, unable to tell which way the thing had gone. He knew he was close though, and so he grabbed his light and stuffed it into his jacket, so that the revealing glow would not give him away. He inched his way blindly onwards, trying to steady his breathing.

He sensed another presence coming up at him from the opposite bend in the corner, and so he crouched lower, shortening his stature even further. He held his breath, waiting.

Soft footsteps padded slowly up to his place of concealment, obviously whatever was coming had sensed him, too. But Yugi was confident that he could catch it off-guard, for he was certain that whatever it was would not be expecting an attack below the knees!

There came a sharp thud and a low, grumble right ahead of him, the thing had struck the stone in the dark, stubbing a toe painfully. Yugi recognized that grumbling tone a split second after he had already reacted.

He crashed into a very surprised Joey at full tilt, wrapping his arms around his legs and throwing him backwards. The combined weight was too much for Tristan, standing behind them, to catch, and they landed on the floor with a bang.

"Joey, Tristan, is that you guys?" Yugi asked, letting the light back out of his coat. The ball hung over them, revealing a very welcome sight. Tristan grunted and rubbed the back of his head where he had hit the stone, and Joey blinked in the sudden burst of light, seeing Yugi wrapped around his legs.

"So that's what hit me!" He laughed a bit, sitting up. "Thanks for breaking my fall, man."

"No problem." Tristan huffed, pushing him off. "Where did you get the light Yugi?"

"I don't really know." He admitted. "I think the Puzzle gave it to me."

"Oh, nice." Joey snorted, getting to his feet. "Way to pick favourites. We kinda need to see too, you know!" He shouted to the ceiling, raising his fist as though it was to blame.

"Shut up Joey!" Tristan clapped him over the head. "Who knows what else is in here?"

"Did you guys hear that scream?" Yugi demanded, suddenly remembering why he was here in the first place. Both of their expressions turned serious.

"Yeah, we came as fast as we could, but we bashed our faces into so many walls we didn't get here fast enough. I thought it might have been Tea screaming, but there's no sign of her." Tristan commented, glancing around in confusion.

"It _was_ her." Yugi said. "I'm sure of it."

They were so wrapped up in their conversation that they completely failed to notice two red eyes staring out at them from the dark. The Memory Eater roared again, enjoying the sight of the teens nearly jumping out of their boots.

Yugi whirled around, the light illuminating the most terrifying sight he had ever seen. The monster was huge, pitch black fur raised like an angry wolf, huge teeth gleaming like knives. It's front paws were more like thick hands, covered in fur and powerful looking. It's tiny red eyes glinted from the folds above its snarling mouth.

Its growl rumbled mightily through the hall unabated for many moments. But then, it gave a great, belching sort of noise, and spat something at them. It bounced and jingled and rolled to a stop a few feet away. Yugi felt the blood drain from his face.

Tea's bracelet.

The fiend had eaten her!

"You... you..." Yugi gasped, stumbling back in shock, trying in vain to come up with a horrible enough name to call the creature. That _monster_ had eaten Tea!

The Memory Eater matched his stammering with yet another roar, tamping down it's hind legs and preparing to spring. Joey, thinking quickly, tugged Yugi away from the devilish thing and sent him sprinting in the opposite direction.

"Don't look back man, whatever you do!" He shouted, and Tristan needed no further prompting. They took off in separate directions, confusing the beast for a moment. It roared again at the thought that it's prey had gotten away, swinging its great head back and forth between the different passageways in an attempt to figure out which one to follow.

Eventually the stupid beast figured out that it could always catch the other two later, and decided to go after Tristan first. It vanished a moment later, chasing down the smaller and slower human with an emotion close to a ravenous glee.

Tristan knew he was in trouble the moment he chose his path. The passageways were wide and open, allowing for easy access and not many places to hide. The path was straight, and it did not turn in any direction, which was uncommon for the Puzzle. Nor did this particular hallway contain any doors. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and he was out of time.

As they sprinted farther away from Yugi and the light that he carried with him, the halls grew increasingly dark and difficult to traverse. Tristan knew that his hall was straight and true, and that was the only thing that allowed him to continue sprinting in the pitch blackness. Had he been anywhere else, he would have walked, and felt along the stone carefully for whatever turns or doors presented themselves. No sense in breaking his nose in a full on collision with the wall.

Still, he knew he was at a sore disadvantage to the Memory Eater, a beast that thrived in the darkness. And that point was hammered home a moment later when he felt a huge impact slam into his lower back, sending him flying away. He hit the ground hard, pinned beneath a huge paw. The eyes were the only things he could see. Narrowed, dragon-like points of red fire. Tristan spat at those eyes defiantly, punching out with both hands.

The first blow glanced off of its jaw, making it grunt a bit. His other arm, however, was stopped dead when the beast closed its mouth over the swinging limb. Tristan had a split second to react, and he twisted and tugged heroically, but to no avail. He was trapped...

Yami tugged Tea along as fast as he could, searching for something to hide her in. Most of the rooms no longer had doors, just heaps of shredded scrap metal littering the floor. But after a moment of searching he finally found one out of the way room with a door that was mostly intact, though it was bent at an odd angle.

He pried it open as far as it would go and helped her inside.

"Stay here." Yami instructed. Then he turned to his fuzzy companion. "Kuriboh, stand guard."

Kuriboh puffed out his chest with pride and saluted him, taking up a position by the door. Yami turned again, but Tea caught him by the arm before he could go.

"Wait, aren't you going to hide too?" She asked, not thrilled with the idea of being left alone with only Kuriboh for protection. He shook his head.

"I cannot, the others are in danger. I must rescue them!" He told her, eyes glinting determinedly.

"So they _are_ here!" She gasped, thinking for a moment that she had been the only one sucked in. "Wait!" She called, as she noticed Yami slipping away. "Don't go!"

"I will return, stay hidden!" He called back, and he was gone.

"Great." Tea huffed, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs. Kuriboh hovered over to her, looking at her with big eyes. She absently scratched his fur, and he chirped softly. "I don't suppose you know how to fight off giant, human eating... things, do you?" She murmured, not knowing what to call the monster that she had encountered. Kuriboh chirped again and floated out from under her hand, towards the wall. He stopped and turned back when she made no move to follow, chirping more urgently and beckoning with his little claws.

Curious, she crawled on her hands and knees to the area he was pointing at. A tiny pool of something silvery glittered in the meager light from the half open doorway. She looked up at Kuriboh, who was watching her intently. She could have sworn she saw him nod.

Tea gently dipped her fingers into the stuff, and found that its consistency was more akin to gel than to liquid. As soon as she touched it, it began to shine, and as she watched it twisted and bubbled beneath her hand. She drew back in alarm as the thing expanded, and the gel that clung to her fingertips was sucked into the growing object.

The glow increased to the point where she feared she might be blinded. She covered her eyes with her hand to block the sight, and then suddenly the room was dark once more.

The sound of something metal scraping and clanging against the stone floor prompted her to look. A long and thin sword lay before her, its gleaming blade etched with tiny hieroglyphs. Again, she looked to Kuriboh, and again, he nodded.

She grasped it firmly by its hilt and stood. The metal was surprisingly light, and she swung it a few times experimentally. Suddenly, she saw something flickering on the blade, something separate from the light in the corridor. Peering closer, she discerned that it was a moving image, and when she squinted a bit it came into focus.

"Whoa..." she breathed. "And this can stop that thing?"

Kuriboh chirped again happily.

"Then we have to take it to him!" Tea clutched at the hilt determinedly, but then her face fell. "But I would have no idea how to find him..."

Kuriboh flew behind her and pressed at her back, pointedly nudging her toward the door.

"You know where he is?" She asked, and Kuriboh pushed harder.

"Kuri! Kuri!"

"Alright, then let's go!"


	11. Chapter 11

Yami paused, his senses telling him that something was very near. It was not the Memory Eater, that ugly thing was never known for it's stealth. Taking a chance, he called out into the blackness.

"Joey?"

"Yami?! Is that you?"

Joey came out of the darkness, his eyes wide.

"Yes, it's me."

"You're alive!" Joey clapped his shoulder as though to reassure himself that what he was seeing was no illusion. He swallowed.

"We're in trouble. That thing that's in your Puzzle has found the others. Tea's been captured already, and I think it may have gone after Tristan next." Joey's jaw clenched angrily.

"Tea is fine, I have her hidden away." Yami assured him. "And Tristan can take care of himself."

"I know, but what if..." Joey paused, unable to utter the words. "What if it got him?"

"I don't know." Yami sighed, frustrated. "I don't think it's possible to die in this place, because it's not really our bodies that are here."

"Huh?" Joey asked, confused.

"There is no time to explain. The best thing we can do now, for Tristan and for everyone else, is to keep away from the beast. We have to find a way to destroy it, and our chances will be better if we are together."

"Man, what I wouldn't give for my deck right now..." Joey sighed. "I could take on a hundred of these things if I had my monsters beside me."

Yami nodded in wholehearted agreement, thinking that this would indeed be much simpler with their faithful companions beside them.

While they were each lost in their respective wishes, suddenly a loud boom and a shuddering crash thundered just to the side of them, coming from the side corridor that yawned inches in front of them.

Two red eyes barreled out of the darkness, coming fast, impossibly fast! Joey reacted in the nick of time, pushing Yami to the floor out of the way.

Yami fell with a huff, skidding to a halt and looking back in terror. "Joey!"

Joey's scream was cut off as the Memory Eater barreled into him, muffled by the crushing weight of the creature. In the time it took Yami to scramble to his feet, the beast had finished it's gruesome work and spun around to face Yami next, licking its lips in satisfaction.

Yami paled and gagged, realizing what it had done. Joey was gone.

"You _monster_!" He screamed, and prepared to fight it, suicidal as that seemed. Despite what he had just said about being unable to die in this place, the fact that Joey was gone turned his stomach into knots. But just then Kuriboh came hurling out of the darkness behind it, momentarily distracting the thing.

"Yami!" Tea called, and he saw with alarm that she had followed Kuriboh, and was standing behind the creature, inches from its stamping paws. She held some sort of weapon in her hands, but as to where she got it, he could only guess.

At her cry, the Memory Eater spun around again, it's eyes locked onto her. She brandished the sword at its face to keep it back, but it batted the weapon away with a heavy paw and clamped it's jaws around her waist. The sword went skittering under the beast, and Yami could only watch in horror as the monster devoured her, too.

His scream rent the air born of a primal fury, a wordless thing. He charged at the monster, not caring for his own safety. One thought burned in his mind: vengeance.

Yugi knew that voice. And the pain within it, the denial of a man loosing everything he cared for, was unmistakable. He ran as fast as he could, knowing that he was close.

And then, everything came into focus. He had a split second to take it all in, one moment in time to absorb the situation and figure out what he was going to do.

Yami was charging at the creature, his face twisted in a look of savage fury. The Memory Eater was getting ready to meet his charge with a spring of its own, its maw half open and waiting. And there was Kuriboh, floating in front of the beast and waving at Yugi with urgency.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. He knew what to do. Clutching the little ball of light in his hands, he hurled it at Kuriboh, yelling.

"Multiply!"

Yami knew that voice. And the power that was in it, the determined tone of a man realizing that hope was still alive, was unmistakable. Yami reacted on instinct, trusting that voice implicitly.

He dove, missing the jaws of death by a mere foot. He scrambled and reached for the blade, praying that the monster would be too slow to retaliate.

It didn't move, it was much to busy dealing with the newest attack. A hundred thousand Kuriboh were hurling themselves at it, exploding one after the other in a blinding show of pain. The Memory Eater's whole frame shook with the stress, and a few Kuriboh even managed to wedge themselves in its jaws and blow up in there.

It was blinded by the agony. It could not see, it could not hear. Its senses were being overwhelmed by the vicious attack. It tried to fight back, somehow. Failure was not an option! But it couldn't breathe, the smoky stench of its own burning flesh choking it. It sensed the blackness closing over it, but it knew that this was not the end. So long as it had the memories, it would live on. And when it returned...

A searing jolt of pain it its gut, made by the tip of a gleaming blade, ended that train of thought as surely as it ended the demon's life.

Its roar of defeat echoed deafeningly through the halls, a roar that threatened to drive them to the brink of sanity. But soon enough the roar gave way to a gurgling moan as the Memory Eater's body dissolved and it's spirit scattered to the void between the realms.

Yami plunged the blade into the Memory Eater's belly and had to clap his hands over his ears to block out its wails of pain. Grimacing, he grasped the hilt with both hands and tore a huge slash across the bulging abdomen. Tristan, Tea, and Joey fell out of the beast in a heap, covered in slime and wide-eyed.

The sword vibrated subtly as it sucked each and every one of the consumed memories into itself, finishing its work.

Just in time, for the Memory Eater's body then collapsed and dissolved, leaving the five of them standing in the silence.

"Guys!" Yugi yelled sprinting towards them. They groaned and staggered to their feet, Tea wiping the slime from her face with one arm. He relaxed visibly when he realized that they were unhurt.

The companions were together again, exchanging looks of shock and amazement. Yugi's lips trembled as he fought to hold back a laugh at the looks of disgust stamped on all three faces. Joey shot him a venomous glare and wiped some of the gook on Yugi's face.

That did it. Yugi could not help the laugh that erupted from him, this was just too insane! He doubled over, clutching at his stomach and laughing so hard that his eyes began to water.

His amusement proved to be infectious, for the rest of the gang just shrugged as if to say: 'So what else is new?' before joining in.

"Remind me never to hang out with you guys again." Tristan muttered sarcastically, shaking himself free of the goop.

"Yeah, I like my life or death experiences in video-games, thank you very much." Joey agreed, still chuckling.

"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure?" Tea giggled. "How many regular teenagers can say they've stopped a crazed beast from mentally destroying one of their friends?"

"I guess this just proved that we're all officially crazy." Yugi put in, wiping his eyes. "Or at least Yami is, anyway."

Yami smiled, but then stopped when he looked at the sword still in his hands.

"Where did you get this anyway?"

Tea shrugged. "It was in the room you left me in. It was only a puddle of silver when I found it, but then I touched it and it turned into this."

Yami looked at it, thinking. "I wonder where it came from..."

"Look at it closely." Tea suggested. "I think there is a picture in it, or something."

"Hey..." Joey suddenly spoke up, a thought coming to him. "How are we supposed to get out of here?"

"And if we do get out, will it have changed anything?" Tristan added, looking at Yami. It was true that they beat the Memory Eater, but did that mean that Yami's memories would return, or was it already too late?

"Of course..." Yugi said, though he himself seemed unconvinced. "We beat it, right, so shouldn't that fix everything?"

Yami didn't respond, absorbed as he was with studying the sword's gleaming surface. The others crowded closer, peering at the blade curiously.

The image that danced and played across its surface was difficult to see at first, but gradually the shapes and colours settled into a regular and familiar pattern.

The moving image continually shifted from the events that had occurred this past day. From the amusement park to the ocean, from the arcade and even the ride home. Yami looked up at his companions with a joyful sparkle in his eyes.

"Do you know what this means?" Yugi whispered, awed.

"It means that even the smallest of things that you all do for me can have the greatest impact. You are the truest friends I will ever know." Yami breathed, gathering all of them up for a warm and thankful embrace.

"Friendship like this comes along once in a lifetime." Yugi added. "No matter what happens, we'll always be together."

The agreeing murmur that sounded was among the sweetest of sounds that Yami had ever heard. With this happiness filling his heart to bursting, he felt he would never again feel alone.

All of a sudden, something in the air changed. It was not noticeable at first, simply a trembling ripple that shook things a bit. The sword started glowing, rising out of Yami's hand of its own free will and plunging itself into the floor.

At once, the light expanded, shooting out from them in a wide circle of healing power. Everywhere they looked, the Puzzle seemed to be fixing itself. The torches re-lit, giving a warm and soothing glow to the area. Doors became solid and whole once more, and everywhere stone walls and floors were repairing themselves.

The effect was not just limited to the Puzzle itself, either. Each one of them felt the healing warmth seep into them, banishing the nightmare far from them. When all was completed, the sword again stopped glowing.

"How do you feel?" Tea asked Yami, seeing as how the damage to the Puzzle had directly affected him. He smiled, in true contentment.

"Whole." He answered simply.

The sword began to shine again, calling to them. Wordlessly, they clasped hands waiting to be returned to their own world, and their own minds.

And when they had gone, the sword to, vanished, letting all of the memories that it had held within it scatter back to their respective hiding places. They would be safe there until the time came to reveal them properly.

In the quiet interior of the newly healed Puzzle, nothing seemed different. But if one looked closely, one would discover the tiny treasure chest that sat quietly off to the side. It was guarded with a lock of the purest gold, etched with the names of his dearest companions and his closest of friends.

Yugi opened his eyes slowly, measuring the scene. It took him a moment to figure out where he was. Joey was sprawled across the coffee table, snoring loudly. Tea was slumped against the chair, her breathing patterns indicating that she too, was asleep. Tristan was face down on the floor, his head on his arms. Everyone was resting peacefully, recovering from the experience.

Yugi sleepily half raised his head, noticing that he was kneeling in the floor.

Yami was stretched comfortably on the couch, his face no longer pale and his breathing smooth and steady. Yugi sighed and put his head back down, not caring that he was still on the floor. He was too tired to move.

"Never a dull moment with you, is it?" He mumbled, sighing gently and closing his eyes.

He could have sworn he saw Yami smile.


End file.
